In the first game of the 2014-15 NBA season, rookie Julius Randle made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dwight Howard’s Houston Rockets. Everyone wanted to get a look at this 19-year-old out of Kentucky who many considered to be the most talented rookie coming out of the 2014 NBA draft.
Unfortunately, 14 minutes into his first game on the NBA level, the player that could be the future face of the Lakers franchise went down with a season-ending leg injury.
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Even though Randle will not play another minute in his rookie season for the Lakers, the storied franchise still has high hopes for the young power forward. Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was recently asked about Randle by Torben Adelhardt of the German website, Crossover.
Kareem said the following about Randle’s future when asked about the impression he got from the rookie forward via Google Translate:
Randle was doing a playful good impression, and so pitiful it was then when he has suffered this terrible injury. But I still think he has a future in the NBA. You only need to slowly introduce it back to the team and to the team system, and find the right supplement players who complete it.
With Randle having injury issues coming into his rookie season with the Lakers, the fact he went down only 14 minutes into his first game has some concerned about his long-term future. The last thing the Lakers need is another injury-prone player with the franchise desperately trying to right the ship in Los Angeles.
Although the Lakers brass will be holding their breath when Randle finally gets back on the floor next season, there’s no question the talent is there. If he is able to stay healthy, there might be a bright future ahead for the young kid from Texas.
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