CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s crazy how the paths have turned out with D’Angelo Russell and Kristaps Porzingis.
You can now make the argument that in 2015, the Knicks could have been better off if the Lakers had passed on Russell for Jahlil Okafor, the 76ers snatched Porzingis and the Ohio State southpaw point guard had dropped to No. 4.
Russell was No. 2 on Phil Jackson’s draft board. Porzingis was fourth, and the Latvian — for better or worse — fell to four.
Thirteen months ago, Russell was a malcontent Lakers draft bust trying to find his way in Brooklyn while Porzingis was “The Franchise.