D'Angelo Russell Is the Clear 2015 NBA Draft Prize for the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers enter Tuesday night's NBA draft lottery with a 15.6 percent chance of obtaining the top pick in this year's selection process, but there's a 100 percent chance they should spend it on Ohio State combo guard D'Angelo Russell if they're fortunate enough to land in the No. 1 spot.
While Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns represent the cream of the crop to most teams with projected top-five selections, Russell is the kind of talent who can help accelerate the Sixers' rebuild upon arrival without talk of a big-man logjam.
"If they get D’Angelo and [Joel] Embiid is healthy along with Nerlens, you don’t need Karl," a league scout told the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 25.0% | 64.3% |
| 2 | New York Knicks | 19.9% | 55.8% |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | 15.6% | 46.9% |
| 4 | Los Angeles Lakers | 11.9% | 37.8% |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | 8.8% | 29.1% |
With first-team All-Rookie selection Nerlens Noel and 2014 No. 3 overall pick Joel Embiid penciled in as the starting frontcourt of the future, the Sixers should be past the point of embracing the "best player available" strategy. That said, general manager Sam Hinkie is known for stockpiling assets regardless of need, and he's always preached the value of optionality.
"Indications are that the Sixers like Russell, but the notion that they’ve locked in on Russell doesn’t make much sense given what we know about Hinkie," CSNPhilly.com's John Gonzalez wrote. As a league source told him, "There’s no way he’s made up his mind and he’s focusing on just one guy."
So to be absolutely clear, the Sixers aren't dead set on drafting Russell. But they should be if the pingpong balls allow for that possibility.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman explained why in his latest mock draft:
"Without an asset in their backcourt, the Philadelphia 76ers will likely be deciding between D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay. But Mudiay ultimately shares many of the same weaknesses (poor shooter, wild decision-maker) as Michael Carter-Williams, whom the Sixers just dealt at the trade deadline.
Russell is a world-class passer and ball-handler who also has the size, shooting stroke (95 threes, 41.1 percent from downtown) and scoring ability (19.3 points per game to lead all freshmen) to play the 2.
That versatility should create some flexibility for the 76ers when rebuilding. They can essentially add any guard to pair alongside him, whether he's a 1 or a 2.
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To Wasserman's point, the Sixers' roster is completely devoid of top-rate ball-handlers. Tony Wroten is the closest thing they have, and he's rehabilitating a partially torn ACL. Beyond Wroten there are Isaiah Canaan—who's really a shooting guard in a point guard's body—and Ish Smith, who has solid court vision but offers little in the way of jump shooting at a diminutive 6'0".
More eye-opening is that the Sixers were the least efficient team when it came to ball-handlers scoring in the pick-and-roll last season. According to Synergy Sports Technology (via NBA.com), Philadelphia ranked last in ball-handler efficiency at 0.66 points per possession.
The Sixers also tied the Utah Jazz for bottom honors when it came to isolation scoring. Per Synergy, Philadelphia scored a laughable 0.72 points per possession in isolations, which only highlights the need to add a creative on-ball presence. By comparison, the iso-happy Cleveland Cavaliers scored 0.92 points per possessions on such plays.
| 19.3 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 44.9% | 41.1% | 26.6 |
As those numbers indicate, the Sixers don't do damage off the dribble. That's why they're at their best getting out in transition before the defense has a chance to set up—it eliminates the need for constructive, deliberate play in the half court.
However, adding Russell could help adjust the flow of the offense and bring some sorely needed structure.
During the 2014-15 season, the Sixers shot 28.4 percent on pull-up jumpers, again highlighting their inability to play off of primary ball-handlers.
Russell, always playing with poise, can change that.
"While very capable with his feet set (39% FG%, 1.11 points per possession), he's especially impressive with his ability to make shots off the dribble, hitting 44 percent of his shots in those situations, good for 1.04 points per possession, which ranks second among all college basketball players according to Synergy Sports Technology," DraftExpress.com's Jonathan Givony wrote.
Outside of the obvious schematic fit, Russell oozes confidence, which became clear after he declared himself "the best player" in the draft and compared himself to NBA MVP Stephen Curry, according to Pompey.
"I don't want to sound like I'm overdoing it since he's the MVP of the league, but when I watch his game, I see myself. The plays he makes, the shots he takes, and passes he makes, I see it before it even happens. I feel like that's what separates me from a lot," Russell said.
The Sixers could use an intangible lift after back-to-back 60-loss seasons, and the 19-year-old floor general can provide one without complicating the composition of the depth chart.
Russell's positive attitude is merely a bonus, but his self-assured approach can help set the tone for a skittish young core in the midst of a complex developmental period.
With two years of rebuilding struggles in the rearview, it's finally time for the Sixers to make promising strides in the win column. After head coach Brett Brown instilled solid principles that produced the league's 12th-stingiest defense last season, Philadelphia is ready to experience a breakthrough on the other end of the floor.
It can all start with Russell, but it's up to an unconventional front office to play things uncharacteristically safe and go with the instant-impact contributor capable of carrying the backcourt for years to come.
All statistics are courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
Alec Nathan covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AlecBNathan.
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