Making their point: Lakers take Russell at No. 2
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the 2015 NBA draft Thursday by selecting Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell second overall instead of taking a potential franchise center in Duke’s Jahlil Okafor.
While many analysts project Russell to have a higher upside, Okafor seemed to fit the mold for the Lakers, who have a rich lineage of star big men throughout their franchise’s history.
“We felt (Russell), at No. 2, was a player we couldn’t pass up,” general manager Mitch Kupchak said at the Lakers’ training complex.
A gathering of Lakers fans at their facility gasped when the pick was announced, a clear sign that they — along with many others — expected the Lakers to take Okafor.
Russell is only the sixth Ohio State freshman to be selected in the common draft era (since 1966).
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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