Julius Randle Injury: Updates on Lakers Stars Leg and Return: Rookie forward Julius Randle represents a new era of Los Angeles Lakers basketball, but that progression has been put on hold temporarily. CNNs Rachel Nichols reports the diagnosis: Bleacher Reports Kevin Ding reports he left on a stretcher: Following a miserable 2013-14 season that saw the Lakers struggle without the services of superstar guard Kobe Bryant, they landed a nice consolation prize by selecting Randle seventh overall out of the University of Kentucky in the 2014 NBA draft. Randle was a dominant force for John Caliparis Wildcats as he somewhat surprisingly helped lead them all the way to the National Championship Game. He fell a bit further in the draft than most initially expected, but the Lakers had to be thrilled to secure him. Although Randle is a supremely talented player, it became clear from the start that the Lakers intended to bring the 19-year-old star along slowly. With the acquisition of Carlos Boozer during the offseason, much of the pressure was taken off Randle to be a main complement to Kobe right off the bat. Even so, the expectations were still high from a statistical standpoint. Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders figured Randle would at least come close to averaging a double-double per game in 2014-15: If that wasnt enough, Randle started to draw comparisons to Hall of Fame players before even suiting up for a regular-season game. ESPNs Dave McMenamin went so far as to liken his skill set to that of Charles Barkley: That is a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of a first-year player, but it is understandable since the Lakers are searching for the next generation of stars to supplement Bryant. Randle may reach that level soon enough; however, the organization has done a nice job of keeping things in perspective. Head coach Byron Scott has led the way in that regard as he challenged the 69, 250-pound rookie to improve his conditioning during the lead-up to the season, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. The biggest thing with him right now is that he has to get in better shape, Scott said. Hes in good shape but he has to get in great shape. ... When youre not in great shape and you get tired, you lose focus, its that simple. Its just a matter of getting him in great shape. While the Lakers are lacking in star power aside from Bryant, they most definitely have an ensemble cast that is capable of picking up the slack both offensively and defensively with Randle out of action. Even though the 2013-14 campaign was less than ideal, it gave L.A. the opportunity to press certain players into action and give them experience with big minutes. Veterans like Bryant, Boozer and Steve Nash will be leaned upon heavily, but the same can be said for Nick Young, Jordan Hill, Ryan Kelly and Wesley Johnson among others. As high as hopes are for Randle this season and beyond, he landed in a favorable position due to the Lakers depth. He will certainly be a big part of the cause when he does return, but Los Angeles will be able to take a by-committee approach to replace his production in the meantime. Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter Read more NBA news on BleacherReport #Basketball #NBA #NBAPacific #LosAngelesLakers #fantasybasketball
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 05:40:06 +0000