Los Angeles Lakers: Introducing The New, Improved Julius Randle

After a lost rookie season and an even sophomore campaign, Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle has suddenly evolved into a two-way “monster” under new coach Luke Walton.

There’s nothing worse in today’s NBA than being labeled as a “no D big” — a big man that neither protects the rim defensively or stretches the floor offensively.

More specifically, big men like the Kenneth Farieds and Jahlil Okafors of the world are devalued in the modern landscape.

Yes, they can score in bunches and dominate the offensive boards, but their lack of defensive awareness and/or ability to anchor a defense hinders their impact and playing time.

For much of last season, many had written Julius Randle off as it seemed like the former Kentucky Wildcat was heading down that dreaded road.

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Despite averaging a double-double at the tender age of 21, doing so after coming off a lost season in which Randle broke his leg in his very first NBA game, most found his bull-in-a-china-shop brand of basketball to be reckless and unpredictable.

He had the ability to grab and go, but more often than not his propensity to suffer from tunnel vision and eagerness to go left made Julius a turnover waiting to happen.

And when you add in his shoddy effort on the defensive end, where he routinely lost track of his assignments off the ball, many would prematurely label the Piano, Texas, native as a bust.

But, while talent ultimately wins games in the association, good coaching can accentuate and optimize the skills of you’re most prized possessions.

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ young core of Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson were not exactly put in a position to succeed.

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The Kobe Bryant retirement tour was a nice gimmick to sell tickets, but playing alongside any player who shoots .358 on a usage rate north of 30 percent can be draining, no matter if said player is a cultural icon.

When you add in the fact that the team was “coached” by Byron Scott, who was more concerned with the young Lakers “manning up” than adopting modern ideologies, it really shouldn’t come to much of a surprise in hindsight that Randle looks like a completely different player defensively thus far this season.

Not only has Luke Walton implemented a more mellow and genuine approach to the game, he’s also brought forth his Golden State pedigree of perpetual ball movement on offense and positional versatility on defense.

When Cool Hand Luke took the job this offseason, many immediately pigeonholed Randle, Russell and Brandon Ingram as the zygote version of Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Skeptics, however, were wary of whether Randle could duplicate, or even mimic, the Dancing Bear’s unprecedented defensive impact as an undersized big — most notably citing Julius’ rather proportionate wingspan and length as root of their pessimism.

But, thus far this season, Randle, to put it in Walton’s words, has been an absolute “monster.”

Offensively, he’s always had the knack of grabbing a defensive rebound and leading the break on his own.

This year, though, Randle has shown a coherent willingness to look for his teammates — utilizing his strength and aggressiveness as gravity to help shift the geometry of the court in freeing up his outside shooters.

In the half court, the game has simply slowed down for JuJu.

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Instead of bulldozing his way to the basket come all hell or high water and spastically throw up a wild left-handed push shot in a congested paint, he has been more than willing to pull-up for a highly makeable mid-range J, even though the shot is still very much a work-in-progress.

Additionally, as usual, Randle has been a beast on the offensive boards, showcasing some of the softest hands in the league.

It is his defensive prowess, however, that has most league pundits buzzing.

His ability to switch onto smaller wings and guards and stifle them in a pinch has been refreshing to say the least.

The increased emphasis on ball pressure has mitigated Randle’s middling length, as his effort and intensity has earned him several impressive man-on-man blocks this season, with many of them coming on switch situations where Julius was able to shuffle his puppies and contain/reject the likes of Dennis Schroder, James Harden and Jeff Teague.

Such skills are what defines Draymond Green and the Warriors’ devastating ability to turn their defense into offense.

And with a lineup of Lou Williams, D-Lo, Clarkson, Randle and Larry Nance Jr., the Lakers have been able to replicate this somewhat, driven in large part by Randle’s and Nance’s defensively versatility.

The scary thing is, Randle is probably more offensively gifted and naturally talented than Draymond — particularly in open court situations.

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After a couple of historically-down years for the Forum Blue and Gold, things are finally looking up and up for the Los Angeles Lakers with Julius Randle serving as the linchpin in their contemporary movement.