Ohio State Freshman D’Angelo Russell Declares For 2015 NBA Draft

By Cody Daniel | Apr 23, 2015

The list of college players expected to take an early exit from the NCAA to make the jump to the NBA just got a little shorter with Ohio State’s freshman combo guard D’Angelo Russell declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft. Russell released the following statement to ESPN Wednesday concerning his decision:

"“This was a hard decision because I knew I could come back and play with my teammates who I love, and to be coached by coach Thad Matta again would have been awesome, but at the same time I wanted to pursue my dream of playing in the NBA,” Russell told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “I know what I am capable of and the sky’s the limit with effort. I know I have a lot to work on.”"

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The 6’5” Russell making the jump to the pros after only one season shouldn’t come as a surprise to many. The Louisville native came to Ohio State as one of the top high school recruits in the nation and has since bolstered that high praise by becoming one of the most coveted NBA prospects in all of college basketball.

In his lone season at Ohio State, Russell averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists, while hitting .449 percent of his field goals and .411 percent of his attempts from deep. These efforts earned Russell first team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, as well as all-but solidifying Russell as a consensus top-five in the upcoming NBA Draft.

One NBA GM commented on Russell’s continuously improving draft stock throughout the course of the season, per ESPN:

"“When we went to see him in the fall we thought he was a good player,” the GM said. “When we went to the nonconference games, we thought he was very good and a first-round pick. When we went back to Big Ten games there was no doubt he was a high lottery pick.”"

As an NBA prospect, Russell has countless features that make him an appealing option, even among the ranks of Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns and Emmanuel Mudiay. To compliment his ideal size for an NBA guard at 6’5”, Russell is a walking weapon offensively with the ability to score in bunches from all three levels of the court, which is rare for any 19-year-old kid.

But it’s not just his scoring that’s made Russell such a sought-after talent; he’s an exceptional facilitator, especially out of the pick-and-roll. Russell is just as dangerous, if not more-so in transition and utilizes his fluid ball-handling to break defenses down and make buckets come easy for his team, as well as finding his own points.

If you’re looking for criticisms of Russell’s game, look no farther than his limited athleticism. Russell isn’t the type of player who will headline highlights with freakish dunks, like those of Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Damian Lillard.

Rather, he’s more of the skilled and fluid type of guard that will run an offense with efficiency, which points to why he’s being projected as a point guard in the NBA. Additionally, Russell did struggle to score at times against superior competition.

Russell scored only 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting against Michigan State and put up nine points on 3-of-19 from the field in Ohio State’s third round NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona. That can be expected with a freshman on a team with limited assistance for the star player, but it can be a concerning sign nonetheless.

Regardless of how you look at it, Russell’s strengths drastically outweigh his weaknesses, which is why he stands out as one of the elite guards in the draft pool. It would be a surprise if Russell slips past the top five, especially if a team with needs in the backcourt like the Philadelphia 76ers or Los Angeles Lakers get a shot at him.

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