The Philadelphia 76ers may be denied an up-close look at an elite prospect many are projecting them to draft at No. 3 overall on June 25.
Former Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell has canceled a predraft visit and workout with the Sixers scheduled for this weekend, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Russell, a 6-foot-5 combo guard and a consensus First-Team All-American last season, is the third-ranked prospect according to DraftExpress, and moved up to No. 2 in Chad Ford's latest rankings, surpassing big man Jahlil Okafor.
With the Los Angeles Lakers - who pick second - reportedly "locked in" on Okafor, many project the Sixers to draft Russell, including ESPN's Jeff Goodman in his most recent mock.
The Sixers themselves were said to want Russell even before the lottery pingpong balls gave them the No. 3 pick.
Here's what Ford wrote of Russell in his latest rankings:
Russell's draft window looks pretty small. He should go either No. 2 to the Lakers or No. 3 to the Philadelphia 76ers. In the unusual circumstance that he falls, I don't see him getting past the New York Knicks at No. 4.
It's unclear if Russell is trying to dissuade Philadelphia from drafting him, or if he's planning to reschedule the workout, but in a follow-up report, Pompey said a source told him Russell pulled out after getting "real sick," while another told him Russell could still end up working out for Philadelphia before the draft.
So, this may all prove to be much ado about nothing. However, given the state of the Sixers and the culture of losing they've engendered in the past three years, it's understandable a young player who's extremely high on himself might want to take his talents elsewhere.
