Heading into 2014-15 season, Julius Randle was viewed as a potential future cornerstone for the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately after breaking his leg in the season opener, Randle’s season was lost and he spent all year rehabbing his injury.
— Have you seen the ‘Bleed Purple and Gold’ phone case? —
Randle has begun practicing in preparation for Summer League in Las Vegas and according to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, general manager Mitch Kupchak compared Randle favorably to a former Laker:
Relevant to free agency: Kupchak compared @J30_RANDLE to Lamar Odom, saying: "I would hesitate to pigeonhole him at a position right now."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) June 26, 2015
If Randle is able to develop into an Odom-like player for the Lakers, it would be a major success. Randle seems to have the size, speed, and ball-handling ability of Odom and has reportedly been working on his jump shot extensively.
It is also worth noting that Kupchak wouldn’t pin a position onto Randle. Versatility is very important in today’s NBA and Randle possibly being able to play both forward positions would give the Lakers a ton of options going forward.
Along with Randle, the Lakers have D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson to give themselves a very promising young core to build around. The three of them together could represent the future of the Lakers, which now looks extremely bright after the NBA Draft.
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