Had it not been for a well document Snapchat snafu, Russell’s rookie season may have been viewed in a much different light. Last year’s No. 2 overall pick struggled initially to gain favor in the eyes of former coach Byron Scott, but ended the season on a strong note, starting the final 26 contests and averaging 15.4 points per game while knocking down 39.2 percent of his three-pointers over that span. For the season, Russell posted averages of 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals to go with 41 percent shooting from the field and 35.1 percent from distance. For a player of Russell’s repute, the numbers weren’t exactly eye-popping, but the situation in Los Angeles was far from ideal. With Luke Walton taking over for Scott and Kobe Bryant in retirement, Russell will have much more freedom offensively. That should mean higher usage and more overall playing time in what’s expected to be a higher-tempo system. The 20-year-old remains a bit of a risky commodity given his youth and the lack of proven talent around him, but the Lakers are depending on Russell to develop into a future franchise cornerstone, so he’ll be given every opportunity to succeed.

The Lakers pulled a little bit of a surprise back in June, when they went with Russell, the point guard out of Ohio State at number two in the NBA Draft, over Jahlil Okafor, who was the favorite to head out to Los Angeles. But Russell is in L.A. now, and presumptively, part of the backcourt of the future for this great franchise. In his only season with the Buckeyes, Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 2.7 three-pointers in 34 minutes per game in his 35 games. He was also an extremely efficient shooter, hitting 45 percent of his field goal attempts, including a tremendous 41 percent from three-point range. Russell was also able to knock down 76 percent of his free-throw attempts. In the 2015 NBA Summer League, however, Russell struggled, averaging 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.2 blocks and 0.4 three-pointers in 30 minutes, shooting an abysmal 38 percent from field including just 12 percent from beyond the arc. Russell may find the going tough early on, with Jordan Clarkson, Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, and Lou Williams all pushing for minutes in the backcourt, but if he can get sufficient minutes, the rookie could be a nice fantasy option.