After two seasons under head coach Byron Scott, the Los Angeles Lakers have decided to make a change. The Lakers have parted ways with Scott and have hired his successor in Luke Walton who is expected to change the team’s style of play and philosophy moving forward.
One player that may benefit more than most in Walton’s system is power forward Julius Randle. The Kentucky product seems to thrive in an uptempo style of play and could take his game to the next level as a result.
Following the hiring of Walton, Randle has expressed his excitement about playing in this new style of offense next season, via Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
Randle gushed about Walton and how Warriors' style will benefit his game. But Randle stressed he enjoyed his time with Byron
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 6, 2016
After playing in only 14 minutes of the first game of his rookie season, Randle went down with a season-ending leg injury. As a result of the injury, Randle’s real rookie campaign took place during the 2015-16 NBA season and the former Wildcat didn’t disappoint.
Randle played in 81 games this season and averaged a double-double during that time. Although Randle started in only 60 of the 81 games played, still put up 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 28.2 minutes per game.
An impressive stat line to say the least for the second-year player coming off a season-ending leg injury on a team that finished with a franchise-worst 17 wins. Randle will have his opportunity to flourish in Walton’s system next season with the new head coach potentially using him in a Draymond Green-like role.