Coming into this season, rookie power forward Julius Randle was looked at as a surefire piece of the future for the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, his season was ended before it began as he broke his fibula in the season opener against the Houston Rockets.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Bleed Purple and Gold” T-Shirts? —
Randle also recently underwent surgery to fix a screw in his surgically repaired foot from a high school injury. Though he is expected to be ready for next season, head coach Byron Scott wants to make sure expectations for Randle don’t get out of hand according to Bill Oram of the OC Register:
Byron Scott said it’s key expectations aren’t too high for Julius Randle next year. Coming off two injuries and will have limited offseason.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) January 9, 2015
Randle showed flashes of talent in the summer league and preseason, but losing his entire rookie season definitely puts him behind as far as growth. Next year will basically serve as his rookie season and Scott likely wants expectations to resemble that.
Luckily for Randle, he has a good support system as Scott, Kobe Bryant and many others will continue to push him as he recovers from his injuries. While he will benefit from watching the game from the sidelines, there is no substitute from being on the floor.
Randle may very well turn into a major piece of the Lakers future, but players can sometimes crumble under the weight of high expectations. Scott wants to make sure this doesn’t happen with Randle.
[divide]Lakers Kobe Bryant On LA Clippers, ‘They’re Just Better’
