NBA Draft: D’Angelo Russell trying to model game after Stephen Curry

As he hopes to enter the NBA and establish greatness, Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell has set his eyes on something that may help him see better when he runs a pick-and-roll or when he takes an open jump shot.

Russell has studied Golden State Warriors guard, Stephen Curry, the reasons digging deeper than his regular-season MVP resume or earning platitudes as the NBA’s best shooter ever. Only six years ago, Golden State selected Curry with the seventh overall pick, the former Davidson sharpshooter still facing skepticism about his size and whether he could offer something besides a dependable jumper.

“He didn’t come into the league the way he is playing now,” Russell said on Tuesday after working out with the Lakers at their practice facility in El Segundo. “He took some time and the player he developed to be, I see a great resemblance. His ball handling is off the charts. His shot selection is similar to mine. But his work ethic to get him to where he’s at is similar to mine.”

It might seem weird for Russell to feel like an underdog.

Most NBA mock drafts consider Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay as the league’s top point guards and should land within the top four. Russell averaged 19.3 points and five assists as the Big 10 Freshman of the Year. Mudiay also plans to work out at somepoint this week with the New York Knicks.

Yet, Russell still maintains he feels like an underdog since he did not attend an elite basketball school and was not listed as a top-10 recruit.

“I honestly love it,” Russell said. “People don’t really pay much attention to me. I thrive with it. That gives me an edge. I know where I came from and the hard work I put in and the confidence that my work ethic that I put in. It gives me an edge on the court.”

Perhaps that explains why Russell hardly sounded consumed about where he lands in the draft.

“I just want to go to a team that is a great fit for me and I can help the team the best way I can and win as much as possible,” Russell said. “Most of these teams are in the situation to pick the top guys because they didn’t win. So I definitely know they want a guy who can help them win games. That’s my main focus. If it’s going to the first no. 1 pick or third, fourth, fifth, seventh, whatever it is that helps the team win.”

The Lakers consider Russell one of those options.

He looked dependable as an outside shooter during the last few minutes of his workout that was open to the media. NBA talent evaluators remain impressed with his scoring and steady playmaking.

“I have to just keep going hard,” said Russell, who acknowledged there were limitations since he only had an individual workout. “They did a great job in pushing me with the coaches. Those guys weren’t too hard. They couldn’t move. It was a great feel.”

After interviewing him at the NBA-pre-draft combine last month in Chicago, the Lakers’ basketball operations staff treated Russell to dinner on Sunday night. Mudiay also will go out to dinner Monday night with the Lakers’ coaching staff. The Lakers followed that routine with Mudiay on Saturday and will give Duke’s Jahlil Okafor the same treatment before and after his workout at the team’s practice facility on Tuesday morning.

“I only know how to be myself,” Russell said of his dinner with the Lakers. “So I can’t put on an act for anybody. I got a great vibe from them.”

In between bites, Russell and the Lakers also watched Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers. At some point, it seems likely Russell would share his fondness for Curry even on an off shooting night. At another point, the discussion veered elsewhere.

“Most of the attention was on the game and the bad calls,” Russell said, smiling. “The focus wasn’t on me. That was cool.”

Russell then provided bulletin board for the NBA and LeBron James, who grew frustration for not getting a late call after Golden State’s Draymond Green slapped his forearm.

“On the baseline, he traveled,” Russell said of James. “They let him get away with by not calling it.”

Russell did not seem as forthcoming as comparing himself to Mudiay, who is considered faster and more athletic. Russell also downplayed visiting the NBA pre-draft combine in what he called a business trip, while Mudiay, Okafor and Kentucky center Karl Anthony-Towns skipped the event. Yet, Russell seemed at ease when he repeated that he views himself as the best player out this year’s draft class.

“I truly feel that way,” Russell said. “But you can ask anybody in the draft and they would say the same thing. I don’t know. I feel like I showcased it on many levels and I was put through so many different scenarios where I had to make the best out of it and I had a lot of success with it.”

Russell also gushed about possibly playing with Kobe Bryant, downplaying about his demanding personality and how much he would have to play off the ball.

“Kobe’s a great. Playing with him would definitely be an honor,” Russell said. “I just want to gain the knowledge I can gain from him since he’s been around forever.”

To have such longevity, Russell plans to take notes from Bryant and Curry, mindful that the growth happens behind the scenes instead of in front of the cameras.

“This is the most devastating time,” Russell said. “The fun starts when you know what team you’re on and what city you’re going to. I just have been focusing in this grind mode. I’ve missed a million phone calls and texts because I’m focused and ready to take my game to another level.”

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