Few expected D'Angelo Russell to be where he is today
CHICAGO - D'Angelo Russell was a McDonald's all-American. He had scholarship offers from Louisville, Indiana, Xavier, and Purdue at the age of 15.
CHICAGO - D'Angelo Russell was a McDonald's all-American. He had scholarship offers from Louisville, Indiana, Xavier, and Purdue at the age of 15.
But no one - not even Russell - expected what he's experiencing after just one season of college basketball. The 6-foot-5 combo guard out of Ohio State sat in the interview room at the NBA combine Friday afternoon, surrounded by a throng of media members and cameras, answering questions about being one of the top four prospects in the June 25 NBA draft.
"I honestly thought I would be a four-year player," Russell said Friday at the Quest Multisport Complex. "I didn't think my body would pan out right. . . . I didn't think that I had the knowledge.
"But after playing my first year and really just changing my body and gaining the proper knowledge, I knew I had the potential to be here. I just ran with it."
After gaining 10 pounds at Ohio State, Russell weighed in at 193.4 on Wednesday. Combine that with his shooting stroke, court vision, ballhandling, and creativity, and it's no wonder why some think he has NBA all-star potential.
The 19-year-old, who sees himself as a point guard, compares his game to that of the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.
"I don't want to sound like I'm overdoing it since he's the MVP of the league," Russell said, "but when I watch his game, I see myself. The plays he makes, the shots he takes, and passes he makes, I see it before it even happens. I feel like that's what separates me from a lot."
So much that Russell said, "I know I'm the best player" in the draft.
Several pre-lottery mock drafts have the 76ers taking him with the third overall pick. He could potentially form a talented trio with center Joel Embiid and power forward Nerlens Noel for seasons to come. But the Sixers' first-round selection will ultimately depend on where they are picking.
They have a 15.6-percent chance of winning the draft lottery Tuesday after finishing with the league's third-worst record at 18-64. In the worst-case scenario, they would slide to sixth. Russell will be off the board well before then.
But no one would have foreseen that in April 2014 at practices for the McDonald's all-American game.
Back then, post players Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, Myles Turner, and Cliff Alexander - current draft prospects - received most of the attention. Folks didn't even mention Russell in the same sentence as the class' consensus top guard and another draft prospect, Emmanuel Mudiay. Russell, who was ranked 18th in the class of 2014 by Rivals.com, was basically known as Aaron Craft's would-be replacement in the Buckeyes backcourt. Kentucky didn't even think enough of him to offer a scholarship.
It wasn't because of his ability. He was just never allowed to showcase his skills in a lead role before arriving at Ohio State.
Russell transferred from Central High in Louisville, Ky., to Montverde (Fla.) Academy during his sophomore year. He routinely rode the bench on a team loaded with elite Division I talent that season. Even as a senior, he took a backseat to Australian import Ben Simmons, who was the top player in the class of 2015.
"I was a guy that was always overshadowed by so many great players," Russell said. "I told myself once I got my chance, I wasn't looking back. Like nobody expected me to be sitting in this chair right now. So just to have the opportunity to be here, I'm beyond blessed."
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