We're a week away from February, and the college basketball season is
at the halfway point. The battle for the top spot in my rankings is a
two-man race at the moment, with freshmen D'Angelo Russell of Ohio St.
and Jahlil Okafor of Duke in a dead heat. Most rankings have Okafor as
the lock for number one, but if I'm in desperate need of a scoring
leader at the guard position I'm taking a long hard look at Russell with
the top pick.
Somehow Russell has flown a little bit under the radar to this point, but with his recent string of big games it's going to be nearly impossible to miss him. It's obvious that Russell is playing at a different level than his peers every time he steps on the floor, and he's carrying an Ohio St. team that lacks a lot of scoring options. He's the classic alpha dog you can build a championship team around, and with the NBA being a wing-dominated league, he's got a chance to be one of the best.
D'Angelo Russell is a scoring machine, while also being arguably the best passer in college basketball. He gets his points in every way imaginable, whether he's draining threes, knocking down pull-up jumpers, or getting to the lane and finishing at the rim or with a floater. He's a very good shooter, and he's also a great ball-handler easily capable of beating his man off the dribble. Once he gets by the initial defender he nearly always makes the right decision.
Russell is quick and athletic, and he plays with great energy, aggression, and competitive toughness. He's extremely confident and thrives in the biggest moments. He has the best basketball instincts in the country, and for these reasons D'Angelo Russell is my #1 in this week's NBA Draft Rankings.
Somehow Russell has flown a little bit under the radar to this point, but with his recent string of big games it's going to be nearly impossible to miss him. It's obvious that Russell is playing at a different level than his peers every time he steps on the floor, and he's carrying an Ohio St. team that lacks a lot of scoring options. He's the classic alpha dog you can build a championship team around, and with the NBA being a wing-dominated league, he's got a chance to be one of the best.
D'Angelo Russell is a scoring machine, while also being arguably the best passer in college basketball. He gets his points in every way imaginable, whether he's draining threes, knocking down pull-up jumpers, or getting to the lane and finishing at the rim or with a floater. He's a very good shooter, and he's also a great ball-handler easily capable of beating his man off the dribble. Once he gets by the initial defender he nearly always makes the right decision.
Russell is quick and athletic, and he plays with great energy, aggression, and competitive toughness. He's extremely confident and thrives in the biggest moments. He has the best basketball instincts in the country, and for these reasons D'Angelo Russell is my #1 in this week's NBA Draft Rankings.
| 2014-2015 PLAYER RANKING LIST | ||||||
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | Height | Weight | Year |
| 1 | D'Angelo Russell | SG/PG | Ohio St. | 6'5” | 180 | Freshman |
| 2 | Jahlil Okafor | C | Duke | 7'0” | 265 | Freshman |
| 3 | Stanley Johnson | SF/SG | Arizona | 6'7” | 245 | Freshman |
| 4 | Bobby Portis | PF | Arkansas | 6'10” | 231 | Sophomore |
| 5 | Cliff Alexander | PF | Arizona | 6'9” | 250 | Freshman |
| 6 | Karl Towns Jr | C | Kentucky | 6'11” | 248 | Freshman |
| 7 | Kevon Looney | SF | UCLA | 6'8” | 200 | Freshman |
| 8 | Delon Wright | PG | Utah | 6'5” | 180 | Senior |
| 9 | Jerian Grant | PG | Notre Dame | 6'5" | 202 | Senior |
| 10 | Buddy Hield | SG | Oklahoma | 6'5” | 208 | Junior |
| 11 | Treveon Graham | SG/SF | VCU | 6'6" | 220 | Senior |
| 12 | Devin Booker | SG | Kentucky | 6'5” | 185 | Freshman |
| 13 | Domantas Sabonis | PF | Gonzaga | 6'11” | 210 | Freshman |
| 14 | Justin Anderson | SG | Virginia | 6'5” | 210 | Junior |
| 15 | Caris LeVert | SG | Michigan | 6'7" | 200 | Junior |
| 16 | Justise Winslow | SF/SG | Duke | 6'6” | 218 | Freshman |
| 17 | Myles Turner | C | Texas | 7'0” | 240 | Freshman |
| 18 | Michael Qualls | SG/SF | Arkansas | 6'6” | 210 | Junior |
| 19 | Kelly Oubre | SF | Kansas | 6'7” | 190 | Freshman |
| 20 | Trey Lyles | PF | Kentucky | 6'10” | 255 | Freshman |
| 21 | Emmanuel Moodiay? | PG | China | 6'5” | 190 | Freshman |
| 22 | Gary Payton II | PG | Oregon St. | 6'3” | 175 | Junior |
| 23 | Corey Hawkins | PG | UC Davis | 6'3” | 195 | Senior |
| 24 | Malcolm Brogdon | SG | Virginia | 6'5” | 217 | Junior |
| 25 | Derrick Marks | PG | Boise St. | 6'3" | 204 | Senior |
| 26 | Malcolm Hill | SG/SF | Illinois | 6'6” | 230 | Sophomore |
| 27 | Daniel Hamilton | SG | UCONN | 6'6” | 175 | Freshman |
| 28 | Dorian Finney-Smith | SF/PF | Florida | 6'8" | 212 | Junior |
| 29 | Jordan Mickey | SF | LSU | 6'8” | 220 | Sophomore |
| 30 | Montrezl Harrell | PF | Louisville | 6'8” | 235 | Junior |
| 31 | Tyrone Wallace | SG/PG | California | 6'5” | 200 | Junior |
| 32 | Xavier Johnson | SF | Colorado | 6'6” | 220 | Junior |
| 33 | Romelo Trimble | PG | Maryland | 6'2” | 175 | Freshman |
| 34 | Dillon Brooks | SF/SG | Oregon | 6'5” | 205 | Freshman |
| 35 | L.J. Peak | SG/PG | Georgetown | 6'5” | 190 | Freshman |
| 36 | R.J. Hunter | SG | Georgia St. | 6'5” | 185 | Junior |
| 37 | Terry Rozier | PG | Louisville | 6'1” | 170 | Sophomore |
| 38 | Demetrius Jackson | PG | Notre Dame | 6'1” | 170 | Sophomore |
| 39 | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | SF/SG | Arizona | 6'6” | 212 | Sophomore |
| 40 | Jerelle Martin | PF | LSU | 6'9” | 241 | Sophomore |
| 41 | Michael Gbinije | SG/SF | Syracuse | 6'7” | 200 | Junior |
| 42 | Jakob Poeltl | C | Utah | 7'0” | 235 | Freshman |
| 43 | Rakeem Christmas | PF | Syracuse | 6'9" | 228 | Senior |
| 44 | James Blackmon Jr. | SG/PG | Indiana | 6'2” | 175 | Freshman |
| 45 | Willie Cauley-Stein | C | Kentucky | 7'0" | 244 | Junior |
| 46 | Georges Niang | SF | Iowa St. | 6'7" | 240 | Junior |
| 47 | Jonathan Holmes | SF | Texas | 6'8" | 240 | Senior |
| 48 | A.J. English | SG | Iona | 6'4” | 190 | Junior |
| 49 | Tyler Harvey | SG | E. Washington | 6'4” | 185 | Sophomore |
| 50 | Brad Waldow | PF/C | St. Mary's | 6'9” | 260 | Senior |
| 51 | Damian Jones | PF | Vanderbilt | 6'10” | 240 | Sophomore |
| 52 | Denzel Valentine | PG/SG | Michigan St. | 6'5” | 220 | Junior |
| 53 | Frank Kaminsky | PF/C | Wisconsin | 7'0” | 234 | Senior |
| 54 | Tyler Unis | PG | Kentucky | 5'9” | 150 | Freshman |
| 55 | Ron Baker | SG | Wichita St. | 6'3” | 213 | Junior |
| 56 | Theo Pinson | SG/SF | UNC | 6'6” | 190 | Freshman |
| 57 | Pat Connaughton | SF | Notre Dame | 6'5” | 215 | Senior |
| 58 | Sam Dekkar | SF | Wisconsin | 6'9" | 220 | Junior |
| 59 | Denzel Livingston | SG | Incarnate Word | 6'4” | 178 | Senior |
| 60 | James Webb III | PF | Boise St. | 6'9” | 198 | Sophomore |
| 61 | Justin Jackson | SF | UNC | 6'7” | 185 | Freshman |
| 62 | Tonye Jekiri | C | Miami | 7'0” | 235 | Junior |
| 63 | Zak Irvin | SG/SF | Michigan | 6'6” | 200 | Sophomore |
| 64 | Vince Hunter | PF | UTEP | 6'8” | 200 | Sophomore |
| 65 | Brice Johnson | PF | UNC | 6'9" | 187 | Junior |
| 66 | LaDontae Henton | SF | Providence | 6'6" | 215 | Senior |
| 67 | Yogi Ferrell | PG | Indiana | 6'0" | 178 | Junior |
| 68 | D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera | SG/PG | Georgetown | 6'3” | 218 | Junior |
| 69 | Marcus Georges-Hunt | SG | Georgia Tech | 6'5" | 218 | Junior |
| 70 | Joseph Young | SG/PG | Oregon | 6'2” | 185 | Senior |
| 71 | Mike Caffey | PG | Long Beach St. | 6'0” | 175 | Senior |
| 72 | Daniel Ochefu | C | Villanova | 6'11” | 245 | Junior |
| 73 | Tyler Haws | SG | BYU | 6'5" | 195 | Senior |
| 74 | D'Angelo Harrison | PG | St. John's | 6'3" | 186 | Senior |
| 75 | Marcus Foster | SG/PG | Kansas St. | 6'2” | 200 | Sophomore |
| 76 | Nigel Williams-Goss | PG | Washington | 6'4” | 185 | Sophomore |
| 77 | Wayne Selden | SG | Kansas | 6'5” | 230 | Sophomore |
| 78 | Jonathan Williams III | PF | Missouri | 6'9” | 225 | Sophomore |
| 79 | Ryan Boatright | PG/SG | Connecticut | 6'0" | 160 | Senior |
| 80 | Chasson Randle | SG/PG | Stanford | 6'2” | 185 | Senior |
| 81 | David Laury | PF | Iona | 6'9” | 245 | Senior |
| 82 | Paris Bass | SF | Detroit | 6'7” | 187 | Freshman |
| 83 | Cameron Payne | PG | Murray St. | 6'2” | 175 | Sophomore |
| 84 | Shawn Long | PF | Louisiana Lafayette | 6'9” | 245 | Senior |
| 85 | Angel Delgado | PF | Seton Hall | 6'9” | 215 | Freshman |
| 86 | Aaron Harrison | SG | Kentucky | 6'5” | 210 | Sophomore |
| 87 | Dakari Johnson | C | Kentucky | 6'11” | 260 | Sophomore |
| 88 | Rysheed Jordan | PG/SG | St. John's | 6'4” | 185 | Sophomore |
| 89 | Cady Lalanne | C | UMASS | 6'10” | 250 | Senior |
| 90 | John Brown | SF/PF | High Point | 6'8" | 205 | Junior |
| 91 | LeBryan Nash | SF | Oklahoma St | 6'7" | 220 | Junior |
| 92 | Bryce Dejean-Jones | SG | Iowa St. | 6'5" | 200 | Junior |
| 93 | Branden Dawson | SF | Michigan St. | 6'6" | 225 | Senior |
| 94 | Melvin Johnson III | SG | VCU | 6'5" | 165 | Junior |
| 95 | Juwan Staten | PG | West Virginia | 6'1” | 190 | Senior |
| 96 | Larry Nance Jr. | SF/PF | Wyoming | 6'8" | 210 | Senior |
| 97 | Turan Petteway | SG | Nebraska | 6'6” | 209 | Junior |
| 98 | E. C. Matthews | SG | Rhode Island | 6'5” | 190 | Sophomore |
| 99 | Isaiah Whitehead | SG | Seton Hall | 6'4” | 195 | Freshman |
| 100 | Isaiah Cousins | G | Oklahoma | 6'4” | 187 | Junior |
