After returning home from training camp in Hawaii, the Los Angeles Lakers lost their third consecutive game to the Toronto Raptors in the 2015-16 NBA preseason. While the last two games were decided late in the fourth quarter without their starters, Julius Randle’s play has gotten the attention of the coaching staff and his teammates.
In the loss to the Raptors, Randle had 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. After another strong performance, Kobe Bryant had high praise for his second-year teammate:
Kobe Bryant on Julius Randle: "He can do everything. He can rebound, he can post, he can push the ball, he can pass" https://t.co/2h5QLFnCwz
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 9, 2015
With his unique skill set for his size, Randle has already drawn comparisons to Lamar Odom and Zach Randolph. After a devastating leg injury last season that kept him out of 81 games, Randle has looked extremely comfortable in the last two preseason games.
With Kobe potentially retiring at the end of this season, the young core of Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson have shown their potential through the first three preseason games. While there is plenty of potential, Roy Hibbert sees Randle as the ‘future’ of the Lakers franchise and even the ‘future face’ of the NBA.
