Ohio State Buckeyes guard D’Angelo Russell (0) dribbles against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams during the second half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center.(Photo: Godofredo Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports) D’Angelo Russell respects Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. That doesn’t mean he thinks they’re better than him. “I definitely believe I’m the best player in the NBA draft, based on my hunger,” Russell told USA TODAY Sports. “I just feel like what I bring to the game, you don’t see a lot of it at my age. Things that you don’t teach — high IQ, leadership skills, passing ability — I have those intangibles.” Those intangibles are what the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, the teams with the No. 3 and No. 4 picks in June’s draft, drastically need. And while Towns and Okafor are projected to land as the top two picks on most mock draft boards, both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers have maintained they plan to draft “the best player.” USA TODAY SPORTS WIRE NBA mock draft 9.0: A new No. 1 pick emerges Lakers coach Byron Scott said he doesn’t feel obligated to draft a big man at No. 2 and labeled Russell as a “great point guard.” And Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said of the assessment for the top pick: “I’m a big believer that you can sit down and meet people, and find out which one is going to be the leader and which one is going to show the other guys that he’s going to help them to a championship.” New York Knicks general manger Steve Mills, left, talks with draft prospect Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell before the NBA draft lottery, Tuesday, May 19, 2015, in New York. (Photo: Julie Jacobson, AP) Ohio State coach Thad Matta believes Russell, 19, can bring that type of unique maturity to the next level. “I remember watching him in high school (in Montverde, Fla.) and then when he first got to campus,” Matta said. “You just had this weird feeling that he was going to be special. There was something different about him. …
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