In the loss to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this week, third-year forward Julius Randle reminded everyone how dominant he can be on the basketball floor for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 22-year-old was a nightmare for the Hornets. Randle went 10-for-14 from the floor on Tuesday night at the Staples Center finishing with 23 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Performances like these from Randle show his potential to be one of the best players in the league at his position. Unfortunately, consistency has been a problem for the Kentucky product, but he assured the media after practice on Thursday that can take his game to another level in the coming weeks, according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Julius Randle said he "absolutely" can bring his game to another level over the next few weeks. "It’s just consistency is key."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 2, 2017
Randle has reached double-digit rebounds in four straight games. In three of those four games, the young forward has recorded a double-double with 11 points or more.
Prior to Randle’s streak of double-digit rebounding performances, the former lottery pick hadn’t cracked 10 rebounds or more since Jan. 15 in a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
It seems as though Walton has lit a fire under Randle with only a few weeks left in the 2016-17 NBA season. Following Randle’s impressive performance against the Hornets, Walton said it was the hardest he’s seen Randle play for an entire game all season long.
With Walton intending on playing the young players on the squad as much as possible in the final weeks of the season, it’ll be interesting to see if Randle can continue to play consistently while keeping his energy level high for a full 48 minutes.
On Friday, Randle and company will get back to work with the Lakers hosting the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center.
