There was good and bad coming out of the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Denver Nuggets. The negative was obviously D’Angelo Russell’s ankle sprain, but a major positive was Julius Randle who recorded his first career triple-double.
Randle totaled 13 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists, showing off all of the skills that have the Lakers organization and fans so excited about what he can become.
Afterwards, Randle spoke about his mindset during the game, noting he was trying to have a different view on things according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Julius Randle "tried to look at things differently tonight" after the team has been struggling to get each other going.
(Hence, 10 assists)— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 26, 2016
Kobe Bryant also took note of Randle and after comparing Randle to his former teammate Lamar Odom, the five-time champion added that it’s only a matter of time before Randle really figures things out according to Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation:
Kobe on Julius: “It’s just a matter of him getting a feel for the NBA game, where he sees actions take place before they even take place.”
— Ryan Ward (@Lakers_Examiner) March 26, 2016
Randle’s performance was extremely promising as his playmaking ability was on full display. His combination of strength, ball-handling, and playmaking is something very few players possess and could be what separates him from other power forwards.
There are still some holes in Randle’s game that he will need to work on, most notably his jump shot and his work on defense. Once Randle improves those things, he will become even more unstoppable.