Back in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers surprised NBA fans everywhere when they selected D’Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 overall pick, the highest selection of the franchise since they took James Worthy with the top pick in the 1982 NBA Draft.
Coming with the territory of being the second pick, Russell inherited the expectation of becoming the next face of the franchise after perhaps the Lakers’ greatest player of all-time in Kobe Bryant. On top of being tasked to fill seemingly impossible shoes left by Bryant, Russell has some additional convincing to do in the eyes of many Lakers fans that wanted Okafor to be the pick, despite the latter’s numbers taking a dive in his second year with the Philadelphia 76ers.