Los Angeles Lakers: How Julius Randle Fits With Kobe Bryant And Co.
By Nathan Giese
“First things first. I’m the realest.” – Iggy Azalea
A phrase Mitch Kupchak hoped to be saying with pride after a summer of success, but that’s not the case.
It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a flux. Nobody really knows what to expect from them this season or even in the future. Everything starts and ends with their superstar, their franchise player and their leader.
Kobe Bryant, playing just six games last season, is expected to return to full health. However, the same was said about Derrick Rose last season, not that they’re in the same situation, though. Coming back from back-to-back injuries is difficult to do, and it’s something that a 36-year-old Bryant is trying to do. An aging player with bad knees is usually not a good sign for the future, but Kobe is no ordinary player. We know this to be true, but questioning what he can bring to the table is something we must do.
With the uncertainty in Bryant’s knees and his future, the Lakers went into the offseason with a few goals. They wanted to get younger but gain experience. They wanted to add a superstar to pair with Bryant in an attempt to win a title before Kobe calls it a career. They wanted to build for the future but also win now. Perhaps for the second time in history (first being the Dwight Howard debacle) the Lakers did not get everything they wanted. That is unless their game plan included bringing in Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer, then it went very well.
No, things did not go the Lakers’ way. They missed on Carmelo Anthony, never really had a shot at LeBron James, lost Pau Gasol to Chicago, weren’t able to bring in a single top-tier free agent and were forced to fill their roster with some leftovers from last season. So far, the real return for LA may be the fact that they still get to have Iggy Azalea around thanks to Swaggy P. Hearing “Fancy” over and over may get them pumped up, but it won’t win them basketball games.
Things may not have gone great for LA this offseason, but they were able to get a player that can help lead them into the future. With the seventh pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Lakers took Julius Randle, the power forward out of Kentucky. A bit undersized body-wise, Randle was a bully in the paint in college. He’s aggressive, never quits on a play and always goes all out. He’s been compared to Zach Randolph because of his style of play, which is a very solid comparison.
Randle does have some work to do, though. One odd anomaly for Randle’s time at Kentucky was his 13 points per game average against SEC opponents and over 16 points per game against all other opponents. With how weak the SEC is overall, those numbers should be reversed, but that’s not the case. Julius brings it against the top competition, but the question is, can he accomplish that same thing at the NBA level?
There’s also the question on just what role Randle will play with the Lakers this season. Will he be a starter? Will he be the sixth man? Is he going to be the secondary option after Bryant? Or will he be a role player? Nobody really knows what to expect because it’s a mystery as to what the Lakers are going do this season. They don’t have many prospects for a pure starting five. Their center would technically either be Boozer or Robert Sacre, who’s the tallest player on the team at 7’0″ but is known more for his towel-waving than his offensive repertoire.
Should the Lakers realize that this team will not be competing for a championship, putting Randle in the starting five from opening night should be the call. There’s a lot riding on what LA does post-Bryant and Randle’s the starting point. Him getting playing time and experience will be the key. Learning from Bryant will be a huge boost for a young player like Randle, and depending on what the Lakers do next season to give themselves one final shot at a title, he’ll be a big piece for them. He has the talent to help lead a team into the future of the NBA, but if he’s not going to be given a shot to do it immediately, then it’s hard to imagine what the Lakers are going to do.
LA likes to try and be “so fancy”, but keeping it simple with Randle’s growth would be in their best interest. Let him start from day one and go from there. If it doesn’t work right away, then make a change if need be. Randle can get the job done but has to have the trust of the franchise.
Don’t get cute with it, Lakers. Let the young man go to work.