By Patrick Hayes

Rochester native Walker Russell Jr., who played with the Detroit Pistons last season, is with the Oklahoma City Thunder trying to earn a roster spot in training camp, according to RealGM.com:

Russell (6-0, 170 pounds), appeared in 28 games last season as a member of the Detroit Pistons where he averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 assists in 12.8 minutes per game.

After playing collegiately at Jacksonville State University, Russell spent five seasons in the NBA D-League where he amassed averages of 15.1 points, 8.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 132 contests.

I have no idea what Russell’s chances are of making the Thunder’s loaded roster, but if he does play his way into a spot, his skills fit much better on a team full of players who make shots at a high percentage than they did on the Pistons last season. Russell is a pass-first point guard who rarely looks to shoot and isn’t a threat from 3-point range. On the Pistons when he got minutes last season, he often created good shots for others, but playing with a bench that featured several low-percentage shooters, it didn’t translate to baskets. He’d be a solid fit as a third point guard behind Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor if Oklahoma City is looking for one.

Subscribe to the BallinMichigan RSS feed, like BallinMichigan on Facebook and follow@BallinMichigan on Twitter.