In the mid-to-late-2010s, the Los Angeles Lakers began building up their roster with a number of outstanding draft picks. The likes of Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and others gave the Lakers one of the most promising and talent-laden cores in the NBA at that time.
Many of those young Lakers were dealt away as the team brought in superstars to speed up the process to championship contention, while Randle actually left as a free agent in the summer of 2018. There were certainly some issues between Randle and the Lakers regarding his role on the team and Ball would actually speak about this in a recent episode of his Ball In The Family podcast:
Lonzo Ball says the Lakers told Julius Randle to just screen and rebound 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wOTJ9RH2Al
— Ball In The Family Podcast (@ballinthefampod) July 22, 2026
While recalling a film session during his time with the Chicago Bulls, Ball would compare guard Matas Buzelis being chewed out by then-Bulls coach Billy Donovan to Randle being given a very limited role with the Lakers.
“It was very similar to when they told Julius Randle on the Lakers to just screen and rebound and don’t do nothing else,” Ball said. “I’m like bro we’re in the NBA, these are like real players and you’re putting them in a box. I feel like that’s just not good for your mental.”
Randle was obviously capable of much more than screening and rebounding and he proved it during that season as he was the Lakers’ leading scorer that year. He would then go on to blossom into one of the best players in the NBA, making multiple All-Star games and winning NBA Most Improved Player in 2021.
Ball’s comments are interesting as he doesn’t like the idea of putting players in a box that limits their ability to grow, especially when certain guys are capable of much more. However, players filling specific roles are also needed for a team to come together and win a championship so there must be an ideal balance when it comes to that.
Kyle Kuzma says 2017 Lakers were best Summer League team of all-time
While Randle wasn’t part of the 2017 Lakers Summer League squad that won the championship in Las Vegas, Ball was and he actually won Summer League MVP that year while Kuzma took home Championship Game MVP honors. And Kuzma believes that squad, which also included Ingram, Hart and Alex Caruso amongst others, is the greatest Summer League team of all-time.
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