With the Los Angeles Lakers recently playing the Golden State Warriors in the preseason, a lot has been talked about the Lakers possibly developing a similar culture to the one the Warriors, who broke an NBA record with 73 wins last season, as Lakers head coach Luke Walton was an assistant in Golden State the last two seasons.
Additionally, the Lakers have a few players that have similar skillsets to players on the Warriors, although the Lakers are much younger and inexperienced.
One comparison that has come up over the last year is Lakers forward Julius Randle and Draymond Green. The are both undersized big men that can handle the ball and create for their teammates, something that not many guys in the league can do.
In a recent interview with Mark Medina of Inside Socal, Green had a lot of good things to say of Randle:
“I think he can be real special. With the skillset he has and the body, he’s long and athletic. The way he handled the ball at his size and the way he can move at his size, it’s special. He has one thing you can’t teach. That’s that dog and that heart. You can’t teach that.
He also talked about the comparison of Randle to himself:
“I think it’s cool because he can do the stuff that I do. He can handle the ball. He can make plays for other people. He can defend. He’s super strong. He can rebound the basketball. So I think he can [be the next me]. I also think he has the potential to be better. With the God-given gifts he has, he has the potential to be better.”
Green, who is entering his fifth season in the NBA, averaged just 2.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in his rookie year at the age of 22. He became a star last season though as he averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists and was named to his first All-Star team.
Last season in Randle’s first full season as a pro he averaged 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists at the age of 21.