5 Los Angeles Lakers Storylines To Follow In 2016-17

Can Julius Randle Take It To The Next Level?

It’s been an up-and-down start to the career of Julius Randle, the No. 7 overall pick in 2014. After missing almost all of his rookie season with a broken leg, he returned in 2015-16 to shine as a rebounding specialist for the Lakers.

Unfortunately, he’s still got a long way to go to live up to his draft status.

While Randle is outstanding when it comes to cleaning the glass, his impact on defense was far from impressive a season ago. According to Fox Sports, he finished the 2015-16 season with the Lakers’ worst defensive rating. That’s a huge statement considering how poor this team was a year ago.

Need more evidence? Just look at his stats from last season, which included only 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

The 10.2 rebounds (10th in the NBA) and 11.3 points per game were solid, but the Lakers absolutely need to see more from Randle in 2016-17. Not only does his defense need to improve significantly, but his offensive efficiency will also be a point of emphasis.

Can Randle take the next step towards unlocking his true potential, or will he underwhelm in 2016-17?