D’ANGELO RUSSELL: No Tellin’

Ohio State, 6-5, G, Fr

— by AGGREY SAM

Phil Jackson isn’t alone in his admiration of D’Angelo Russell.
The Knicks president, a front-office novice, was fined for commenting about the Ohio State freshman, who will have made a decision about whether to return to school or be a top-5 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the time you read this. However, as of press time, the 6-5 combo guard is coming off arguably the worst performance of his otherwise stellar campaign, shooting 3-19 in a seasonending Tourney loss to Arizona.

But don’t think for a second that rough outing will affect how he’s perceived in the eyes of NBA evaluators.

“I’m not sure his stock can get any higher than it is now,” another NBA personnel man says after watching Russell in the game. “Some people put a lot of stock in the Tournament, but there’s so many positives in his game that in his case, it doesn’t matter.

“If you watched him play last spring, he wasn’t one of those guys who stood out on the [HS] circuit,” he explains, on the condition of anonymity, so as to avoid Jackson’s fate. “But he set himself apart with the way he played this season, plus he’s shooting the shit out of the ball. Is he an NBA 2 or point? The team he plays for will dictate what position he plays.”

Russell’s scoring instincts have evoked comparisons to fellow southpaw James Harden, while his handle and playmaking conjure notions of the Louisville native (via Florida prep powerhouse Montverde) developing into an oversized scoring PG. Either way, Russell, who averaged 19.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.0 apg and 1.6 spg for the year, shooting 44.9% from the field, 41.1% from three and 75.6% from the line, has joined the 2015 race as a potential No. 1 pick.

Whatever his role, wherever he’s drafted, some Lottery team (maybe even the Knicks) will enjoy paying for — and talking about, freely — Russell’s services in the near future.

— AGGREY SAM