NBA Power Rankings: Ranking All 30 Starting Point Guards

24.  D’Angelo Russell — Los Angeles Lakers

Passer Rating: N/A

Per-36 minutes:  20.5 points, 5.3 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 3.1 turnovers. 44.9% field goals, 41.1% 3-pointers, 75.6% free throws.

True Shooting Percentage:  57.3%

Player Efficiency Rating:  26.6

Usage Rating:  30.2%

Assist Percentage:  30.1%

* Last five categories are based off his Ohio State play, and I didn’t include rankings because it wasn’t against NBA athletes.

Going against the tradition and archetype of the Lakers franchise, Mitch Kupchak sat back in his chair on a Thursday in June and make a gusty call. Selecting D’Angelo Russell, widely-regarded as the nation’s best point guard as a true freshman, was a decision that garnered mixed reactions. It meant leaving the best offensive post talent, Jahlil Okafor, on the board for Philadelphia. Plus, whenever you dissect the directions and motivations for both franchises, you find that Los Angeles was probably in more need for a big man, while the 76ers were (and still are) in desperate need for an imposing point guard.

Regardless if people (including myself) believe the two franchises should’ve just swapped the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, Russell has given the Lakers extremely positive signs since draft night.

He’s only had a few preseason games and a mediocre summer league under his belt, but Russell’s vision as a passer in the halfcourt is something they haven’t been blessed with since the 1980’s. You could argue that Gary Payton fulfilled this during the 2003-04 run, but he was aging and only a Laker for one season. Other than that, Los Angeles has been accustomed to running offense with Derek Fisher, Ramon Sessions, Jeremy Lin, Kendall Marshall, and Smush Parker. That’s what Kobe Bryant has dealt with throughout the 2000’s — and it’s not a knock on Fisher, who’s from the same class of 1996 as Bryant. They just aren’t fitting descriptions of artistic play-makers that can create fluid opportunities in halfcourt sets. Marshall had a weird, mysterious run with L.A. during the 2013-14 campaign, but he was very one-dimensional as a player, not offering the scoring/passing combo that Russell exhibits.

During his only season at Ohio State — in a year where the Big Ten’s top six schools went 158-59 (.728) — Russell was exactly what Thad Matta needed in his system. Not only was Russell included on the All-Big Ten First Team, but he was also a First Team All-American throughout college basketball. It was hard for Kupchak to ignore that, even though Okafor received the same type of honors during his freshman season at Duke. We shouldn’t rule out that Kupchak’s motivation could’ve been about the NBA’s new age of basketball, coupled with a few striking comparisons Russell displayed. Coming out of college, James Harden was also in the ballpark of a 6’5″ combo guard, weighing around the 200-205 pound mark. Both are extremely gifted lefties, and perhaps Kupchak noticed a potential breakout for Russell as a scoring guard in the same way. Harden has shifted his talent and responsibilities after being a pro for six years, and Russell definitely has the shooting savvy to resemble a comparable style by the time 2020 rolls around.

Russell shot over 17 field goal attempts per 40 minutes at Ohio State, but did so at an efficient rate for a freshman. Shooting 45% from the field and over 41% from 3-point range on 231 attempts, he’s illustrated that he can be a top option without shooting your team out of a game.

However, for the Lakers to properly gauge his rookie season, he has to impress as a pass-first player. There should be no issue for him there, considering he’s already showing desire to get Julius Randle involved in pick-and-roll opportunities. This is the most important thing for him as a rookie, as he’ll find that over 70% of NBA offenses generate out of some type of screen-roll action, whether that’s in the beginning of the shot clock or serving as a last resort when you’re pressured to make a play.

Adjusting from the 35-second clock to the more intense 24-second thinking is a challenge for most point guards. But, Russell appears to embrace the thought of picking up the speed and making faster decisions. He’ll need to, in order to get Los Angeles into the top 10 of offensive pace. They were running at 94 possessions per 48 minutes last season, and Byron Scott should encourage Russell to get the Lakers’ sets rolling even quicker.

This team has the personnel to be one of the five or six fastest offenses out there (around 96 possessions per 48 mins.) and now they have a point guard to keep things under control. There was no structure and no balanced order for the Lakers’ offense the last two years, and we should see that change because of this draft pick.

Next: Tier 7: We Need to Hire Steve Nash, Mark Price, or Something