On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers selected someone who they hope will be a future cornerstone of the franchise in bruising power forward Julius Randle of Kentucky.
— Lakers Nation Summer Sale Is Here! Get 32% Off Orders More Than $20! Use Code: #TheFuture —
After the selection, Mitch Kupchak spoke to reporters and was very satisfied with the selection according to our own Serena Winters:
Mitch Kupchak: “We’re very pleased to have Julius. He had a great workout with us, a great interview."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) June 27, 2014
Randle brings a lot of toughness to the Lakers, and should be able to step in and contribute immediately for a Lakers team that has very little in the frontcourt right now.
Randle also grew up a huge Kobe Bryant fan, and is undoubtedly excited to have the chance to play with his childhood idol. Kupchak spoke on the expected relationship between the two, saying Kobe will love him, even if he probably won’t show it early:
Kupchak on @J30_RANDLE: “Although I don’t expect @kobebryant to talk to him till January, I think he’ll like him."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) June 27, 2014
This is a big day for the Lakers as the team begins its road to rebuilding the team back to championship contention. With LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony both available in free agency, the team will be making a run at both of those superstars in an effort to bring them to Los Angeles.
For now, however, the team will celebrate its newest rookie. The Lakers have a good history with their lottery selections and hopefully this will be no different.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lakers Pre-Draft Workout: Julius Randle On Foot, Talks First Time Meeting Kobe
