Skill Showcase: Julius Randle, Force in Transition

Skill Showcase is a recurring series that seeks to highlight skills/deficiencies in college prospects and young NBA players that warrant attention.

Julius Randle was widely considered a top prospect of the 2014 NBA Draft class despite entering the league with some question marks. Given his style of play on offense paired with wingspan concerns, many were left wondering if he’d retain effectiveness at the pro level.

Randle’s brand of “bully ball” has been rather effective through his first few professional games, but it’s how he’s getting into his offense that deserves highlighting.

There are very few players 6-9 and up that can grab a defensive rebound, dribble their way down the court and create a quality offensive look on the other end. We’re talking about an exclusive group including guys like LeBron James and Blake Griffin, physical behemoths and a couple of the league’s few “total package” players.

Randle has a long way to go before he can be counted among that tier, though his ability to go end-to-end, first seen when he was dominating high school competition, is alive and thriving.

(H/T to invaluable YouTube user Dawk Ins, whose regular creation of highlight videos makes it that much easier to grab GIFs for articles like these) 

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The above clip is a rather tame example of what Randle is capable of. The Dallas Mavericks are back and set on defense, so Randle doesn’t have the opportunity to reach “runaway freight train” pace. He does, however, look insanely comfortable initiating L.A.’s offense, barging into Dirk Nowitzki to create a high-percentage look at the rim.

Later in the same game, Randle had an opportunity to get a full head of steam going, and he made the Mavericks pay:

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The speed shown here is impressive, but just as important is making the easy pass to set up a Brandon Bass dunk. Many 20-year-olds would get overzealous and go for the dunk themselves, but Randle recognizes the better play and acts accordingly.

Having a player with Randle’s size/strength combination coming at you in transition creates problems on several levels. First is what I’d refer to as the pickup-game corollary — nobody wants to be the guy to get dunked on or run over in transition by the biggest dude on the court. Whether you’re more concerned with the impending bruise to your ego or sternum, getting in the way is not the optimal outcome for one’s pride. Very few guys have the guts to stand in front of someone like Randle during a fast break.

Additionally, Randle’s ability to push the ball in transition — and get up-and-down the floor generally — means opposing defenses are dealing with an extra body they’re often not equipped to stop. Mobile big men create numbers advantages for tempo-pushing teams, even moreso when they provide a ball-handling threat rather than just rim-running. Defenses can’t be content forcing him to handle, as he can create easy looks for both himself and his teammates.

Barring that, teams will often have to foul out of desperation:

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Regardless of the outcome, Randle’s ability to weave through defenses on the break puts opponents on their heels. The Lakers are a team caught in transition, so it’s fitting that a leader of the new order is such a devastating force on the break.