5 Reasons For Los Angeles Lakers Fans To Be Thankful In 2016

The Emergence of Julius Randle

The Lakers went into this season wondering who would emerge as the star with Kobe Bryant enjoying retirement. I honestly expected that star to be either D’Angelo Russell or Brandon Ingram. Julius Randle wasn’t even on my radar when I pondered the topic.

Well I was off the mark, and it’s working out pretty well for Walton and his Lakers.

Because so far this season, Randle has been the star of the show in Hollywood. While he may not be leading the team in points per game, the former Kentucky superstar is killing it in just about every aspect.

His scoring efficiency has improved, he’s dominating the glass like he did all last year, and his passing has even been elevated.

More than anything, the confidence and swagger Randle is playing with is remarkable. He carries himself like a star, plays like a star, and has proven that he’s ready to put the Lakers on his back.

Best of all is his teammates are carrying their weight, which is allowing him to avoid bearing too heavy a burden.

Walton knew he had something special in Randle when he came back to coach his former team. He spent the time during the offseason trying to mold him into a Draymond Green-type of power forward, and it’s worked better than most could have imagined.

Next: 5 Realistic Trade Targets For Lakers In 2016-17

Believe it or not, the Lakers may have found their future face of the franchise. That’s definitely something to be thankful for, if you ask me.