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

[Braincells]

Heavy feet can be evaluated in a few minutes. And after a couple of games, it's absolutely set in stone whether a player has heavy feet or not. That's different from evaluating skills that might take time to develop. Raw athleticism is easy to gauge right away.

Didn't people say the same things about Curry when he came into the league? I'm not sure if it's athleticism and speed that defines a player as much as it is smarts and skillset these days. If the former were true, players like Shannon Brown and James White would still be in the league.

It's more about pacing and smarts, and Russell has all the qualities to be a star player in the league. If he did look "heavy footed", which I didn't see, it would be more of a conditioning and game shape issue that will improve as the season progresses. Looked to me like he had the speed to keep up with Trey Burke and other smaller point guards. As a 6' 5 guard, this is pretty impressive.

Kobe's also been unusually high on him throughout all of camp. It's worth noting that Roy Hibbert called him sneaky athletic in some interview, and implied that he'll be posterizing big men in the future.

[Dbrog]

His feet look heavy cause he has like a 13 inch vert

Dude moves like PP

[ClipperRevival]

Didn't people say the same things about Curry when he came into the league? I'm not sure if it's athleticism and speed that defines a player as much as it is smarts and skillset these days. If the former were true, players like Shannon Brown and James White would still be in the league.

It's more about pacing and smarts, and Russell has all the qualities to be a star player in the league. If he did look "heavy footed", which I didn't see, it would be more of a conditioning and game shape issue that will improve as the season progresses. Looked to me like he had the speed to keep up with Trey Burke and other smaller point guards. As a 6' 5 guard, this is pretty impressive.

Kobe's also been unusually high on him throughout all of camp. It's worth noting that Roy Hibbert called him sneaky athletic in some interview, and implied that he'll be posterizing big men in the future.

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.

[SwishSquared]

Randle isn't a good defender and his athleticism isn't enough to curtail that. He reminds me of Terrence Jones a lot actually, except with worse finishing at the rim and worse defense.

T-Jones has turned into a nice young player and I think his extra length helps him out. I see Randle topping out as average defensively due to his lower body fluidity. He'll recover quickly in the PnR, I think. But he just can't provide rim protection and can really only play PF.

Randle probably is super rusty, but his finishing is kinda ugly right now. I had Okafor as the better player than Russell, but I could see the argument. I think Randle-Okafor would have been an ugly pairing defensively. Offensively, it'd be cramped too until Randle developed a jumper.

Lakers moved pretty quick to snag Hibbert/Lou Williams/Bass after LMA spurned them, but I think they should have gotten Okafor and signed guys like Carroll and Aminu for their defense and lineup versatility.

Re: Russell- I think he can pair nicely in the backcourt with Clarkson. JC can guard the more imposing backcourt player and they can hide Russell. He does have a pretty good max vert, so maybe he can utilize double screens to free himself up. That freed up CP3 every time vs. Kawhi in the playoffs last year. Plus, Russell has legit long range, so he can punish guys who don't fight over Horns sets. He shot over 42% from NBA range in college, tops in the nation, I think. Could have been a fluke, but I think he'll have that range.

Wing defense will be key for them, so drafting A. Brown may work out for them. He can be a nice 3&D guy. I was surprised they took Nance Jr. in the first round (knew little about him going into the draft) instead of RJ Hunter. Thought they could have bought a pick off Philly to grab Nance Jr. in the 2nd round. At least Upshaw can bring legit rim protection off the bench for them.

[iamgine]

Which other PGs have this 'heavy feet'? I imagine Raymond Felton is one of them.

[Millslapped]

T-Jones has turned into a nice young player and I think his extra length helps him out. I see Randle topping out as average defensively due to his lower body fluidity. He'll recover quickly in the PnR, I think. But he just can't provide rim protection and can really only play PF.

Randle probably is super rusty, but his finishing is kinda ugly right now. I had Okafor as the better player than Russell, but I could see the argument. I think Randle-Okafor would have been an ugly pairing defensively. Offensively, it'd be cramped too until Randle developed a jumper.

Lakers moved pretty quick to snag Hibbert/Lou Williams/Bass after LMA spurned them, but I think they should have gotten Okafor and signed guys like Carroll and Aminu for their defense and lineup versatility.

Re: Russell- I think he can pair nicely in the backcourt with Clarkson. JC can guard the more imposing backcourt player and they can hide Russell. He does have a pretty good max vert, so maybe he can utilize double screens to free himself up. That freed up CP3 every time vs. Kawhi in the playoffs last year. Plus, Russell has legit long range, so he can punish guys who don't fight over Horns sets. He shot over 42% from NBA range in college, tops in the nation, I think. Could have been a fluke, but I think he'll have that range.

Wing defense will be key for them, so drafting A. Brown may work out for them. He can be a nice 3&D guy. I was surprised they took Nance Jr. in the first round (knew little about him going into the draft) instead of RJ Hunter. Thought they could have bought a pick off Philly to grab Nance Jr. in the 2nd round. At least Upshaw can bring legit rim protection off the bench for them.

Except JC is one of the worst defenders in the NBA

[Dr Seuss]

You're judging his heavy feet off the two occasions you watched him play? both of which he had foot injuries. summer league - rolled ankle (could be an excuse)
and preseason game 1 - bruised bone in his foot

yeah, i havent been taking your opinion seriously since you started blabbing how amazing he would be off youtube videos, and today's tiresome thread doesnt change that

[ClipperRevival]

Which other PGs have this 'heavy feet'? I imagine Raymond Felton is one of them.

It's really rare to find an NBA PG or SG with heavy feet. I can't think of 1 elite PG or even very good PG with such attributes. So just the fact that he was the 2nd overall pick is a testament to some of the other skills be brings to the table to offset this.

[SwishSquared]

Except JC is one of the worst defenders in the NBA

I don't disagree. That huge post and that's what you singled out haha.

He was a rookie- most rooks are bad on defense. I realize he had inflated stats on a bad team, but he's got some nice physical tools to D up. Remember when people thought Wiggins would be a decent defender out of the gate? He was bad.

I'm thinking like 3-4 years from now, not the upcoming season. He could still be terrible when he hits his prime. Just a prediction

[ClipperRevival]

You're judging his heavy feet off the two occasions you watched him play? both of which he had foot injuries. summer league - rolled ankle (could be an excuse)
and preseason game 1 - bruised bone in his foot

yeah, i havent been taking your opinion seriously since you started blabbing how amazing he would be off youtube videos, and today's tiresome thread doesnt change that

That's understandable. Not like I'm happy to about the things I said in this thread but it's what I believe to be true. I wanted Russell to be "the man" and not only be a great passer but also have the ability to carry a team offensively. But heavy feet limits everything you do. Have to call it like I see it.

[Levity]

This is a high screen and roll league. With his knack for passing, a (hopefully) good outside and midrange shot, and his array of hesitation moves (which you generally dont see in a player so young), hes going to be just fine offensively.

His length is going to be a factor defensively, but he will undoubtedly get caught and slowed down when trying to go around screens. but thats exactly why the lakers picked up hibbert.

His ceiling is as high as any other rookie. of course, that doesnt mean he'll hit it, but just focusing on something like "heavy feet" which is subjective anyway, is a terrible way to go about judging a player, who hasnt even played a regular season game, let alone a season.

[ClipperRevival]

This is a high screen and roll league. With his knack for passing, a (hopefully) good outside and midrange shot, and his array of hesitation moves (which you generally dont see in a player so young), hes going to be just fine offensively.

His length is going to be a factor defensively, but he will undoubtedly get caught and slowed down when trying to go around screens. but thats exactly why the lakers picked up hibbert.

His ceiling is as high as any other rookie. of course, that doesnt mean he'll hit it, but just focusing on something like "heavy feet" which is subjective anyway, is a terrible way to go about judging a player, who hasnt even played a regular season game, let alone a season.

Heavy feet isn't subjective. Not to someone who has played the game and knows how to evaluate talent. Again, I'm not saying he's going to "suck." I'm just saying that his ceiling is limited. And that is 100% true. I wanted nothing more than for Russell to be that next great Laker star but it's just not happening. Not in terms of being a dominant offensive force who can break down set defenders. Without that initial quickness or suddenness, he won't be able to do that consistently. His calling card will be as a great passer who can shoot the ball. If he can do that at a high level, i'll be contempt.

[senelcoolidge]

The excuses given by the Russell defenders is hilarious. By the laker fans. After next season they will still make excuses.

[Levity]

Heavy feet isn't subjective. Not to someone who has played the game and knows how to evaluate talent

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.

[kshutts1]

Overview:[/U][/B] It pains me to say this but his ceiling is limited. His heavy feet and lack of any suddenness really limits his ceiling. His ceiling is a great passing PG who can get his teammates involved with possibly a great outside shot but that's about it. He'll never be a dominant, iso scorer who can break down set defenders and carry an offense. Again, it pains me to say this as a Laker fan but this is the truth. I hope I am completely wrong and someone can bump this in the future and say I was an idiot but it's not hard to see. His heavy feet limits his ceiling. It's that simple. This is the highest level and you might get away with heavy feet in any other league but not he NBA.

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.