Julius Randle Injury: Heaping More On Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin
The unfortunate Julius Randle injury will cause the already taxed Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin to do even more
As if the Los Angeles Lakers needed a reason to heap more minutes and responsibility on Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin, the Julius Randle injury (broken tibia) has done just that. We can’t overreact to the first game of the season, but looking into our crystal ball reveals a scary scenario — one that the Lakers wished they didn’t have to see.
They knew that they weren’t legitimate title contenders, but they believed that with a healthy Kobe, that they’d be able to keep themselves in the playoff race. Then, Nick Young got hurt, Steve Nash retired and the Lakers put a little more responsibility on Jordan Clarkson, Ronnie Price and Xavier Henry.
Even at that point, Randle wasn’t going to be a guy who played 30 minutes a night. Most likely, he was looking at 20-22 minutes to come in and provide a dynamic offensive outburst, as a 6-foot-9 lefty who could handle the ball as fluidly as a guard.
So when we look at the combination of injuries, the Lakers are short Nash (30 minutes), Young (25 minutes) and Randle (22 minutes). They aren’t going to magically come up with quality bodies to soak up 77 minutes per night. Instead, those minutes are going to get heaped on the shoulders of Bryant and Lin.
BRYANT’S WORKLOAD
The Lakers were never in the game against the Houston Rockets, ultimately losing 108-90. Even so, Bryant played 29 minutes, going 6-for-17 from the field, with a usage rate of 33.2 percent. For some reference, his career usage is 31.8 and last year’s NBA leader was Kevin Durant, who was at 33.0 percent.
So let’s recap — Bryant, who’s coming off of a serious leg injury and only played six games last year, is staring a huge workload in the face. His shooting 35.3 percent last night shouldn’t be a surprise — nor should the fact that he committed five fouls. He’s going to be rusty and he’s going to be depended upon to produce at a level similar to what he was doing as a younger player.
The ideal situation would be for Kobe to ease his way back into the grind. Whether or not Byron Scott sees it that way will be revealed tonight, as the Lakers have the back half of their season opening back-to-back, against the Phoenix Suns on the road.
LIN TO PICK UP SLACK
When we look at the Lakers roster to figure out who could (or should) pick up the slack, there aren’t a lot of good options. Carlos Boozer is serviceable but unreliable. Jordan Hill, Wesley Johnson, Ed Davis and Robert Sacre are bit players at best and aren’t going to be able to shine in the spotlight.
One guy on the roster has done it before and should be given the opportunity to do it again — Jeremy Lin.
In the opener, Lin sputtered to seven points and six assists in 29:08. It wasn’t all Lin’s fault — though the four turnovers hurt — but Lin is the kind of player who needs to play his way into a groove. When he’s confident and allowed to play more freely, he’s going to produce. Will he be able to carry this team to the playoffs? No, but I’d much rather heap the extra minutes on the 26-year-old Lin than anyone else on the roster.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Coach Scott has had a lot of quality point guards play for him. He’s been around Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury and Chris Paul — all of which have different strengths — and he’ll need to put Lin in the same kind of position to succeed.
If the last few seasons are any indication, the place where Lin can most succeed is with the ball in his hands, running a high pick-and-roll. Do we think that Boozer is going to turn back the clock and will start making jumpers again? Is Hill going to turn into a pick-and-pop big? Will Bryant be happy sitting idly by as a decoy?
I don’t like to overreact to one game, but the Randle injury knocked over the remaining dominoes that were still standing for this Lakers club. Now they’ve got 10 pieces that don’t fit well and they’re relying on coach Scott to put them all together. I’m just glad I’m not the one responsible for this mess.