Even though the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Utah Jazz for their second straight loss to start the preseason, the team looked much more energetic. Overall, there were plenty of positives things to take away from this game.
Arguably the biggest positive was the play of second-year forward Julius Randle, who had possibly his best game in a Lakers uniform.
Afterwards, Kobe Bryant had an interesting comparison for Randle according to Lakers Reporter Mike Trudell:
Kobe called Julius Randle "Lamar Odom in Zach Randolph's body."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 7, 2015
Randle definitely showed why he has been compared favorably to Odom in the past. He filled the stat sheet, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block. The highlight of the night was Randle switching off on Jazz point guard Trey Burke, stealing the ball, and taking the ball coast-to-coast for a huge dunk.
His strength was also on display as defenders continually bounced off Randle when he drove to the basket. He was continually able to get to his spots on the floor offensively, and really dug into the opposition defensively as well, showing lots of activity.
It was this potential that had the Lakers front office excited when he was drafted last season and he is now beginning to shine in this preseason. The Lakers young core has continued to excite and give fans hope for the future of this team.
