Summary

• Talented scorer and gifted playmaker capable of creating high percentage shots for himself and his teammates.  Finishes through contact and displays excellent body control.

• Puts great pressure on the defense.  Understands when to attack and when to get his teammates involved.  Locates perimeter shooters and teammates for drop-offs on the block with ease.

• An impressive athlete who combines controlled explosiveness with strong fundamentals.  Allows the game to come to him, but maintains the right level of aggression.  Needs to continue to develop a consistent jump shot.

• Stays low with the ball and executes dribble moves with purpose and effectiveness, creating good space for himself.  Plays with a high IQ and shows he is able to make good decisions with the ball, even under pressure.

• Strong finisher at the basket.  Uses excellent angles to get into the paint.  Draws the foul and shoots a high percentage from the line.  Deliberate and patient, but wastes no time in getting to where he is going.

Physical/Athleticism

• Very good athlete – contains explosive qualities

  • Good speed and acceleration

  • Has bounce – two-legged jumper

    • Ex. Rose up twice for blocks in the open court where the taller, longer offensive player tried to create contact.  He stayed vertical, and blocked the shots with two hands.

  • Great body control

  • Good hand-eye coordination

• Smooth, strong movements

• Hips allow for smooth, powerful change of directions

• Shows strong endurance

  • Displays good strength; has a nice body build for the point guard position

    • Accepts contact off the dribble and while finishing

• When defensive guards make contact, it is usually them who move from the impact and not Russell as the ballhandler

• Agile; nice footwork

Offensive Qualities

• Talented scorer with a good balance between scoring and distributing

• Playmaker capable of creating high percentage shots for himself and his teammates

• Possesses a refreshing base of fundamentals

• Stays under control on the drive, head up; takes a persistent and patient path to the basket

  • Does not rush or go up to shoot too soon

  • Impressive footwork

  • Uses excellent angles

• Strong finisher around the basket

  • Maintains good concentration on the basket, even amongst traffic

  • Finishes well through contact

  • Uses his body well to draw the contact/foul and still get the ball up on the board for a relatively high percentage shot

  • High conversion rate

• Prefers to drive and finish with his strong hand (right hand)

  • Often when driving left, he ends up finishing to the right

• Naturally moves north-south

• Effectively utilizes change of pace both with and without the ball

• Uses his driving ability to create space by pushing the defender and snapping back with the dribble

  • Periodically uses step backs going in both directions

    • Creates great space with it

• Unselfish player; team first

  • Looks to get his teammates involved

• Places pressure on the defense through:

  • The threat to get in the paint and finish

  • The threat to draw the shooting foul

    • And convert 3-point plays at a high percentage

  • The threat to accumulate one-in-one situations by drawing fouls on the floor

  • The ability to score from midrange

  • The ability to convert difficult shots

• Capable of connecting from 3, but still inconsistent

• Prefers to operate from the top of the key, but is not limited

Shooting

• Improving midrange shooter; developing into a consistent shotmaker off the dribble

  • The farther from the basket, the more inconsistent the shot

• Shoots a high percentage from the free throw line

• Shot selection

  • Smart and patient – searches out the high percentage shot

    • Doesn’t force bad shots often

  • Prefers driving to the basket over shooting off of the dribble

    • Bases tendencies on the defensive personnel, highlighting his IQ

• Mechanics

  • His feet tend to be spread farther apart than shoulder width on the catch and shoot

    • Assists him with staying balanced and squared

  • Would benefit from getting his elbow and release point up a little more

  • Keeps the elbow tucked on the shot nicely; body is “intact”

  • Would benefit from making his shot one continuous movement

    • Has a tendency to guide the shot instead of letting it go

  • Finishes with a nice snap of the wrist

Dribbling

• Has a nice handle overall

• Strong with the dribble

• Protects the ball well with his body

• Keeps the ball close to his body

• Direct movements with the ball; doesn’t play with it

• Makes dribble moves with strength and effectiveness

  • He intends to create space and is successful

  • Also effective at closing the space on a defender and getting into their body to gain the advantage in positioning

• Dribbles with a lot of purpose, both in the half court and in transition

• Keeps eyes/head up running the offense and in the open court

• Good ball control going right and left

• Stays low with the ball on the drive, and does not pick it up prematurely

• Shifts the dribble to the left, middle, and right of his body to protect the ball

• Handles full court pressure with ease and strength

• Because he keeps his eyes/head up while dribbling, he is able to accept the double/trap and handle it with intelligence

Passing

• Willing passer – unselfish

• Likes to pass with one hand, right or left, on the perimeter

• Accurate with the right touch on the right occasions

  • Able to pass accurately off the dribble and in the open court

• Locates and delivers to perimeter shooters on the drive and kick with ease

• Adept at getting into the paint and dumping off to teammates for easy baskets

Basketball IQ

• High IQ

  • Excellent understanding of time and space

  • Keeps track of where his teammates are on the floor while the ball is in his hands, and knows where they will be

  • Terrific understanding of when to attack and when to take advantage of what the defense gives him

    • Recognizes when to be aggressive and when to get teammates involved

  • Shows good decision making ability

    • Decisive

• Does not try to play outside of himself; makes the right play

• Displays good judgment overall

Disposition/Presence

• Does not get flustered under pressure

• Patient/calm demeanor

• Not in a rush, but gets to where he is going

• Commands (not demands) respect on the court