Prospect Watch: D'Angelo Russell making a play for the top 5

Less than a month ago, D'Angelo Russell was considered a lottery pick with a chance to crack the top 10 in the 2015 NBA Draft with a strong showing for Ohio State this season.

Now, he's become a virtual lock for the top 10, a likely top-five pick and perhaps the most intriguing name on the draft board outside of consensus No. 1 pick Jahlil Okafor. Russell has been fantastic as his freshman season rolls along, averaging 19.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists for a 17-5 Buckeyes team that just re-appeared on the top-25 polls at No. 20.

Already known for his ability to penetrate a defense and distribute to teammates on the move, Russell's 45.4 percent clip from outside is leaving little doubt he's a complete offensive package. A jump shot is often the last thing to come for a point guard and represents the lone negative for impressive NBA rookies Marcus Smart and Elfrid Payton. But there will be no such growth period needed with Russell's pure stroke.

Blessed with size and length - 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan - he has all the makings of a good defender, too, if he can ultimately fill out his 175-pound frame. As that bulk comes, there's a very good chance he'll prove himself able to play both guard spots at the NBA level.

Russell's versatility is intriguing for two reasons. The first is that the top point guard on the board, Emmanuel Mudiay, will enter the league out of China, with scouts likely having seen less of him than they would like. The other is that the top of the draft is devoid of shooting guards. If Russell can prove himself capable of playing either guard position, he could stand to rank as some teams' top option at the one and the two.

It's little surprise, then, that he's rocketing up draft boards, shaking up a once-stable top-four pecking order.

(Courtesy: ESPN, DraftExpress)

Also, why hasn't calling him Voodoo Russell caught on? He is magic, and his first name is D'Angelo. Let's make this happen.

Elsewhere on the prospect front, Okafor remains the likely top pick in June, averaging 18.3 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 66.4 percent for Duke, while Karl-Anthony Towns has built some separation between himself and Kentucky teammate Willie Cauley-Stein as the second big off the board. 

There have been other small movements within the top 12, but this remains a class that doesn't extend meaningfully beyond the late lottery.

The Minnesota Timberwolves now have the best odds of landing the top pick, as the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have found themselves on the right end of a few too many games.

Given the potential versatility of both Mudiay and Russell and the otherworldly potential of Okafor, it's likely whoever finds themselves picking high will go for the player they deem to be the best talent available, regardless of fit.