Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell is the most skilled player in June's NBA draft.
Barring an injury, the No. 1 pick has been established. It will be Duke big man Jahlil Okafor. Look for Russell (who turns 19 on Feb. 23) to make a strong case to be selected next.
At 6-foot-5 and armed with a 6-9 wingspan, Russell has a unique ability to control a college basketball game with his scoring, passing, basketball intelligence and leadership. But most impressive is that he already possesses the poise and countenance of a 10-year NBA veteran.
Virtually everything the left-handed Russell has accomplished for Ohio State this season has been done with great efficiency. In fact, he makes spectacular plays look simple, and simple plays, from a coach's perspective, look spectacular.
Let's start with his passing. Although Russell is the leading freshman scorer in the country at 19.4 points per game, it is his incredible vision and confidence to throw passes into tight spots that impress me the most, and he is averaging 5.2 assists a contest.
Great passers find teammates who often don't even realize that they are open. A perfect example of this creativity is this one-hand bounce pass against Northwestern. Watch how Russell waits for Sam Thompson to clear the screen before delivering this perfect pass with great wrist strength. To me, this is the "pass of the year" in college basketball.
This full-court bounce pass to Thompson at home versus Michigan is another example of Russell's vision and passing touch. It's a perfect example of making a spectacular play look routine.
As Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril used to say: "The quality of your shots is directly related to the quality of your passes." Russell exemplifies this trait.
In addition to his passing, Russell is a prolific scorer and an outstanding shooter with NBA range. He has what I call an effortless shooting stroke with great economy of movement. More than halfway through the Buckeyes' season, he is shooting 44.6 percent from the 3-point line.
But most impressive is his accuracy from behind the arc on the move in the open court. He has been just as accurate in transition as he has been in the half court. In fact, he is shooting 46 percent in fast-break situations.
On nearly back-to-back possessions versus Maryland, Russell's ability to stop and pop off the dribble demonstrates a difficult shot to master for a young player. But as you see below, he makes it look easy.
Russell uses his dribble in the half court to create the separation needed to get his jump shot. Here, down the stretch against Northwestern, he drives left, gets the Wildcats' defender to fall down and then raises up to hit a clutch jump shot.
He is not a "one-armed bandit," but his tendency as a young player is to drive right to a pull-up jump shot or drive to his strong side to get to the rim or shoot his pull-up jump shot as well. But he is further along in the development of his weak hand than most NBA prospects at his age.
Needless to say, in easier to perfect catch-and-shoot situations from behind the 3-point line, Russell is just as accurate.
If there are areas of concern for Russell's long-term future, one is major and the other is minor, in my opinion.
First, his athleticism is not at an elite NBA level -- and may never be. Some NBA teams may be scared off by that. Russell is a tall and rangy guard, but he will need to find a way to defend the dynamic athletes in NBA backcourts. Staying in front of quick point guards and guarding big, physical shooting guards will be his greatest challenge early in his career.
Fortunately, his youth comes with the likely potential of physical long-term development. Time is on his side.
Here is an example of some components of Russell's athletic ability. After the anticipation of stealing this pass versus Michigan on the baseline, he is able to weave his way through the defense and finish at the other end of the court. It's certainly not Russell Westbrook-esque, but good enough in my opinion.
The other interesting, but minor, area of concern for Russell is not necessarily his fault. Ohio State is not a heavy screen-and-roll team and has put the ball in Russell's hands in ball screens on only 18.6 percent of his possessions. Compare that with a number of the better college point guards in the country, and you'll see that figure is low.
Four of the six players on the following list are coached by former NBA players or coaches, so they are well versed in screen-and-roll basketball.
Screen-and-roll basketball is about creating indecision at the point of a ball screen and then putting stress on the entire defense. Russell, as a freshman, does not yet have the repetitions in the screen-and-roll game to have mastered its nuances. But given his passing, ballhandling, basketball acumen, size and shooting ability, the indication is that he will be very good in this area.
When I watched Ohio State practice in late December, I was struck by Russell's maturity and by the way he directed the practice as a player. He was in complete control without the need to show he was. That leadership style, given his basketball talent and age, is an intangible that is hard to master.
Russell is a star shooting through college. He likely is off to the NBA after this season, in part because his production has already surpassed his promise.