Lakers rumors: Is D’Angelo Russell on the path to being a superstar?
By Keith Rivas
Draft Class Comparison
Taken second overall two years ago, D’Angelo Russell was the first of seven point guards drafted. Picked up by Los Angeles, he preceded Emmanuel Mudiay, Cameron Payne, Terry Rozier, Jerian Grant, Delon Wright, and Tyus Jones.
Since the draft, the only one from that list that can be said to be as heavily involved in a rebuild as Russell is Mudiay. Here’s what they look like head to head.
This past season, D’Angelo Russell out-performed Emmanuel Mudiay. The 21-year old Denver Nuggets guard averaged a line of 11 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds. As for Russell, his averages were 15.6 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds.
In their second seasons in the league, Russell has also shown more impressive flashes in summer play.
Over the two-year span of averages, Mudiay’s only advantage in that conversation is in assists. In this category, Mudiay has a career average of 4.8 assists per game compared to Russell’s four.
Not much of a difference, but it is what it is.
As for Russell’s standing compared to other 2015 point guard prospects, he has yet to be traded or take a back seat in the team’s plans. The same cannot be said for Payne, Rozier, Grant, and Wright, and Jones.
This should tell you that anyone counting out Russell already needs to be a little more patient.