Los Angeles Lakers’ Julius Randle a future star?
It was a rough here for the Los Angeles Lakers, who finished 25-57, the sixth-worst mark in the league. However, it wasn’t all bad – the Lakers received the seventh-overall pick and used the selection to take former Kentucky Wildcats’ power forward Julius Randle.
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Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders believes Randle may be a future star.
"The Lakers had a disappointing offseason. They entered the summer hoping to land a star player like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love. Instead, their big acquisitions were Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis. Getting Kobe Bryant back from injury should help them, but it remains to be seen if he can return to elite form. Drafting Julius Randle was an excellent decision for L.A. and he could be a star for them in the future. However, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers having much success in the short-term. The team may be marginally better than last year’s 27-55 squad, but they’re bringing back many of the same players and the Western Conference is just as loaded with talented teams. It seems like the Lakers are poised to struggle once again."
Had Randle not suffered through some injury issues, he may have been drafted higher despite his potential issues defensively.
Randle was ranked as the draft’s fourth-best prospect according by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. He measured in at 6’9″ and 250 pounds with a wingspan of 7’0″ at the NBA’s Scouting Combine. Last season, he put up 15.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 50.0% from the field and 70.6% from the charity stripe.
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