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Los Angeles Lakers: Examining the combination of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle

By Quentin Haynes

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /
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Even with Lonzo Ball, the combination of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle could lead the Los Angeles Lakers to more victories in the 2017-18 season.

The Los Angeles Lakers have several intriguing pieces on the roster, headlined by rookie Lonzo Ball and his star power. His fellow rookies — Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart — could provide positive minutes on this roster and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a young guard with the ability to make plays on both side of the ball.

However, it’s the combination of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle that could help lead the Lakers to the most wins.

One of my main thoughts this offseason was that the Lakers needed to diversify their big man groups. In an evolving game, Los Angeles had several big men, but none of them fit together on the floor, creating some of the worst two-man groups in basketball. The addition of Brook Lopez help fixed that in the starting lineup.

After several seasons in Brooklyn, Lopez was brought over to Los Angeles in the D’Angelo Russell trade. He’s eclipsed the 20 points per game mark three times in his career. He’s a poor rebounder, but last season, he showed the ability to space the floor, knocking down 34 percent of his threes on 387 total attempts.

Lopez’s shooting ability opens the floor for Los Angeles in the way of pick-and-rolls and gives them a legitimate threat on a team that already lost two of its top shooters last season.

Despite the numerous leg injuries and overall plodding style, Lopez is a good rim protector. Last season, Lopez finished with a defensive field goal percentage difference of 5.3 percent on shots six feet or fewer, good for 15th in the league among big men. Lopez isn’t going to be called a unicorn anytime soon, but he does possess those traits that make him an intriguing fit for teams who want to use two big men for the majority of the game.

The combination of Lopez and Randle could work because each player’s weakness is the other’s strength. A poor rebounder in Lopez is flanked by a ravenous rebounder in Randle. While Randle is struggling to extend his range entering his fourth season, Lopez has shown the ability to shoot in the mid-range and from 3-point range. Randle can defend in space and on the perimeter when active, while Lopez seems better as the last line of defense, swatting and altering shots at the rim.

It also helps the Los Angeles Lakers figure out what they truly have in Julius Randle.

Last season, Randle finished with good basic stats — 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He possesses all the tools to be an interesting player. However, the other smaller details in his game hurt the overall profile. Randle has the ability to move around the perimeter but doesn’t show it at all times. His lack of ideal size also prevents him from defending the rim.

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    • He’s not a great shooter and isn’t great at the rim either, getting 10 percent of his shots blocked, per 82games.com. In total, he’s a poor defender, not a great shooter and when he does get to the rim, he gets blocked quite often — not the great combination for someone entering unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. 

    In a league where teams are moving toward smaller lineups and small forwards, usually one with the ability to put the ball on the floor and play more power forward when teams are in their final stretches of play, Randle is a big man who needs another big man to defend the rim and space the floor alongside him.

    Could Randle become a better finisher? That’s ultimately the question to make this tandem work. A guy with Randle’s talents shouldn’t be finishing below 60 percent of his shots at the rim, but that’s what Randle did over his last two seasons. An effective Randle at the rim could ultimately thrive, as his ability to pass makes him dangerous. 

    I’m also curious to see how the two work with other big men on Los Angeles’ roster. Larry Nance Jr. has some pop in his game and stands as Los Angeles’ best defender, but he falls right in the middle as a fit alongside either guy. Brandon Ingram, who projects to play more small forward, will also play some power forward and could be a nice fit alongside Lopez.

    Rookie Thomas Bryant and Kyle Kuzma could space the floor, but neither project to be great defenders, limiting their minutes until late in the season. Kuzma flashed the ability to shoot in NBA Summer League, so perhaps he’s a bit more ready than expected.

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    The Los Angeles Lakers are relying on Lonzo Ball to be an impact rookie right way. One place he could lean on is the combination of Lopez and Randle, who have the offensive ability to make Ball’s transition a bit smoother and the correct tools on the defensive end to help the Lakers win a few more games this upcoming season.

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