Kills me to say this but D'Angelo Russell's ceiling is low.

[kshutts1]

Just basing this off of everyone else's opinions/evaluations of Russell...

But it sounds like his floor is Jameer Nelson. Not good for the #2 overall pick, but not a terrible player either.

Ceiling may be an elite passer, great shooter, that doesn't break people down on the regular and is not a dominant defender either... that sounds like Mark Jackson with a 3p shot. That is a great choice at #2.

Did I do an alright job with the comparisons?

[ClipperRevival]

love posts like that. you computer screen GM's talent is being wasted on the likes of us ISH nobodies

and judging heavy feet off a TV screen is completely subjective. it has already been pointed out that he had injuries in both summer league and preseason. ALL reports coming out of training camp is that his athleticism has surprised many in a great way. in the coming years, the kids body is going to fill out, almost kobe-esque. hes going to gain a lot of muscle and strength, and as a result, will be able to have a more explosive first step than he does now.

Again, heavy feet isn't subjective for people who played the game and know what to look for. At least I hope you are right in that his injuries and the fact that he's only 19 means he might be able to improve on it a little bit. But you can't improve on it that much. Light feet is a god given trait. You either have it or you don't.

[ClipperRevival]

We should all name all of the PGs that were "dominant, iso scorers that can break down set defenders and carry an offense" that also won an NBA title playing in that role.

Thomas, Curry (sort of), and.... ?

God forbid the Lakers seek out and draft a prototype that is, historically, not the best way to build a team.

True. As a Laker fan, I had high expectations and wanted the entire package. Dominant iso scoring and great passer. But now, reality is that I will have to be contempt with great passer and great shooter. But that's a HUGE drop off in tier.

[Millslapped]

Just basing this off of everyone else's opinions/evaluations of Russell...

But it sounds like his floor is Jameer Nelson. Not good for the #2 overall pick, but not a terrible player either.

Ceiling may be an elite passer, great shooter, that doesn't break people down on the regular and is not a dominant defender either... that sounds like Mark Jackson with a 3p shot. That is a great choice at #2.

Did I do an alright job with the comparisons?

That's not a good comparison. Jameer is a lot shorter

[ihatetimthomas]

He has not looked good. Slow first step and no elevation. But he has been playing through injuries in both summer league and pre season. Thats going to limit mobility. So I will hold off judgement until they say he is injury free.

Randle actually looks good to me. He is very quick and aggressive. His shots are not dropping but he is getting looks. He has the ability to create a shot and initiate offense off the break

[Levity]

Randle actually looks good to me. He is very quick and aggressive. His shots are not dropping but he is getting looks. He has the ability to create a shot and initiate offense off the break

Randle just needs ONE game where he sees the ball go in the basket consistently. Hasnt happened in any of his summer league or preseason games. Once that happens, it will really change his mentality as a scorer. the guy has the ability to get to the rim, and once his midrange jumper is considered a threat, hes going to be getting to the rim at will. But it all starts with him making a handful of buckets in a game. If he can do that consistently, hes going to be a pretty damn good offensive weapon

Defensively, his IQ is pretty damn low right now. But thats why we picked up and paired him with Meta.

[kshutts1]

That's not a good comparison. Jameer is a lot shorter

Size doesn't matter all that much in comparing play styles, IMO. Effectiveness of said playing style, of course. But not the actual style of play.

[kshutts1]

True. As a Laker fan, I had high expectations and wanted the entire package. Dominant iso scoring and great passer. But now, reality is that I will have to be contempt with great passer and great shooter. But that's a HUGE drop off in tier.

Who is the highest ranked dominant iso scoring PG ever? Isiah in the 20-30 range?

Then around the same rank, or higher, we have Magic and Stockton.

Not saying Russell will reach those heights, just saying the fact that he may not be a dominant iso scorer is not that big of a deal. It's not an expected trait for a PG, not even today.

Not to mention, I firmly believe that a pass-first player (typically PG) is more useful than their stats suggest, just by keeping everyone happy and on the same page.

An elite-passing player should, in theory, control the offensive flow and keep everyone involved, and/or recognize when someone was in a funk and needed a pick-me-up.

That can be nearly invaluable on a young, combustible team like the Lakers. Much more so, IMO, than one player taking all the shots. In short, while I think the Lakers messed up by not taking Okafor, Russell's supposed style of play should be very conducive to increasing the sum of the parts, as it were, and thus to winning.

[ClipperRevival]

Who is the highest ranked dominant iso scoring PG ever? Isiah in the 20-30 range?

Then around the same rank, or higher, we have Magic and Stockton.

Not saying Russell will reach those heights, just saying the fact that he may not be a dominant iso scorer is not that big of a deal. It's not an expected trait for a PG, not even today.

Not to mention, I firmly believe that a pass-first player (typically PG) is more useful than their stats suggest, just by keeping everyone happy and on the same page.

An elite-passing player should, in theory, control the offensive flow and keep everyone involved, and/or recognize when someone was in a funk and needed a pick-me-up.

That can be nearly invaluable on a young, combustible team like the Lakers. Much more so, IMO, than one player taking all the shots. In short, while I think the Lakers messed up by not taking Okafor, Russell's supposed style of play should be very conducive to increasing the sum of the parts, as it were, and thus to winning.

It's not about being a dominant iso scorer or scoring 25 ppg. It's about the fact that he doesn't have the physical attributes to be able to blow by guys when he needs to at times. That's an attribute that most elite PGs have, the ability to break down a defense and get to the rack. His heavy feet means he will almost never lose a set defender with his quickness. He'll have to rely heavily on his skills to get it done. But that's asking for a lot when you don't have the natural talent to rely on but must dig deep into your bag of tricks to get by guys all the time. It's easier to just get by a guy with quickness than using hesitations, crossovers, etc.

Bottom line is, his heavy feet limits his ceiling and how impactful he can be.

[FKAri]

Randle has rare athleticism for a guy his size and strength. His lower body fluidity is very elite. He has quick feet, good acceleration, is agile and explosive. His problem at this point is all skills related. Bad bball iq, terrible looking shot, going at one speed at all times, etc.

The raw talent is there for Randle and he's willing to learn.

Sounds like 80% of the league tbh.

[eeeeeebro]

i would think of d'angelo as a person with physical stature to be able to be elite with IQ to be elite but he needs to hit the roids up like lebron and wade to realy make it in the NBA.

[ClipperRevival]

Sounds like 80% of the league tbh.

Nah, Randle is a pretty rare blend of size/power/speed. Most guys as strong as him lack athleticism or have athleticism but lack strength. Randle is strong as an ox (natural strength) and can run the floor like a Barkley/Malone. That's a rare blend.

You are right in that many NBA players do have athleticism but can't put the skills part together. In that sense, that is Randle right now.

[Braincells]

Curry has some quickness and suddenness in his step.

And all I am saying is that Russell's ceiling is limited due to his heavy feet. I also mentioned his court vision/passing along with possibly great shooting. But his heavy feet limits his ceiling. That's simply true. He can still be a very good player.

No, not really.

By all reports, Curry had "heavy feet" coming into the league, and his defense was very suspect. DraftExpress projected him to be a back up/fringe starter due to those difficulties. How long before that term becomes a meme on ISH for all point guards who aren't Westbrook or Rose quick?

Curry isn't textbook quick. His craftiness and skillset allows him to create the separation from defenders. This is something he developed over time, and I don't think it will be any different for Russell. Not comparing Russell to Curry, but Russell's ceiling will be a function of how hard he works on his craft. The physical tools are clearly there for him, and he's gifted with big hands and a legitimate wingspan.

[HOoopCityJones]

No offense OP but why don't you go **** yourself? You were the one championing picking this kid with our pick all summer and now that Ive seen you post a few times since then it's clear you aren't even a fan of the Lakers, if your name wasn't already enough evidence.

We should have picked Okafor.

[HOoopCityJones]

It's like night and day compared to what he was saying before the draft.