D’Angelo Russell’s journey to draft superstardom wasn’t unprecedented. Perennially, a player outperforms their initial stock to hear their name called early in the draft. Russell was ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2014, per 247Sports rankings, but his drive to silence the critics nullified the inertia plaguing high-profile teenagers unwilling to grow at the college level.
High school guys, there are so many players who play at college & NBA level weren't highly ranked. Truth is on court, not on a list.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 10, 2015
It’s a rarity to have a player willing to switch positions in order to showcase their abilities to scouts while benefitting the team. As a shooting guard, Russell would have probably been a lottery talent. A combo-guard and primary ball handler, his 6’5″, 180-pound frame played exquisitely as a lead guard spiking his stock.
It’s the unpredictability and belief that rankings are a facade that will inevitably be altered drastically. Gauging who will successfully make the jump to Division 1 and who will maintain focus instead of pondering their draft status is a difficult proposition.
The poise to make the Buckeyes a more formidable and cohesive group coincided with Russell’s ever-increasing draft appeal. His maturation and understanding his role enabled Russell to be deemed as one of the most pro-ready prospects with a limitless ceiling.
For the Class of 2015, the journey from recent high school graduate to top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft will be arduous for some and accomplishable for others.
Here are five players who could possibly make the jump and pull a 2016 version of D’Angelo Russell. These are bold as none listed are in the top-10 of the 247Sports rankings.
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