Julius Randle Discussion: MIP

Real nice sirronstuff What's on your schedule for later..... heading for a theater to yell "fire" inside of?

 

Gotcha!

 

LOL, you been giving your cat Dos Equis?

 

I just wish the season just starts already. Dying to see these kids in action

 

1st pre-season game in T minus 3 weeks

 

Oh come on Real, I'm sure the celebrity games in Milwaukee and San Antonio are incredible.

 

My latest for LakersNation on Randle, videos weren't inserting properly so please click the link for the entire article:

http://www.lakersnation.com/julius-randle-ready-for-his-lakers-debut-take-two/2015/09/22/#comments

I was only a few feet away when it happened. It was October 23, 2009 and a buddy and I had been perusing resale ticket-sites like StubHub looking for something to do on a Friday night. We came across a pair of tickets to see the Clippers take on the then-New Orleans Hornets in the final game of the preseason; they were on the baseline, four rows back, and unbelievably cheap. Whether it was through divine intervention or just good luck, my friend and I snatched up the fire sale-priced tickets as fast as we could.

We weren’t Clippers nor Hornets fans, but to sit that close to the action was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. I knew a little about the Clippers No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Blake Griffin, but had never seen him play in person. That night he was a human pogo stick, bouncing all over the court and making it clear that the Clippers had found themselves a real player.

Then it all came crashing down. After a fantastic block, Griffin ran the floor hard, got the ball at the free throw line, and slammed it home. As he landed, he immediately looked down at his left knee. I’ll never forget the look on his face, one of concern mixed with disbelief. This was a man who was used to doing super-human things, and super-humans don’t get hurt. Griffin would end up sitting out his entire rookie season with fractured knee cap, and while his career eventually blossomed, I’ll never forget that moment when mortality slapped him in the face.

– What will Julius Randle make this season? Find out here! —

It was a moment that I couldn’t help but think of when the Lakers own dynamic power forward, Julius Randle, also lost his rookie campaign due to a broken leg in the first game of the 2014-2015 season. In that moment, as Randle scooted to the baseline and sheltered his broken limb, his face featured that same mix of incredulity and fear. All he could do was pray that he would eventually recover just as Griffin did, and Lakers fans were praying right along with him.

Randle, like Griffin, was so close to his dream. He was in a Lakers jersey, suiting up on opening night and even threw down a dunk to a thunderous ovation. The injury was a terrible moment, but when all is said and done the broken leg — and the determination required to make it all the way back — may end up teaching him a lot about who he is as a player and a person.

Now, just under a year later, Randle will attempt to return from his gruesome injury and make good on his potential. For the Lakers, his ultimate success or failure will be a major factor in their attempt to recover from the worst downswing in franchise history.

After spending all but 14 minutes of his rookie season sitting on the sidelines, Randle is once again healthy and itching to prove himself at the NBA level. He passed his recovery time adjusting his diet and slimming down, focusing on getting lean while maintaining strength.

Julius Randle is physically very different looking than when he came in as a rookie – seriously in better shape

- Eric Pincus, Los Angeles Times

Randle took part in the Las Vegas Summer League, but his play was up and down, which wasn’t unexpected after so much time off the court. Oftentimes, he forced the action or lacked the patience needed to wait for a play to develop, but those issues can be rectified with time.

In between the rusty moments were some truly brilliant plays. When Randle gets a full head of steam and drives to the basket, he can be extremely difficult to stop thanks to his strength and quickness. Players of his size and weight (6’9″ and 250 pounds) simply aren’t supposed to be able to move the way he can, and it often catches defenders by surprise.

(Randle) is a beast…he made me a believer, Ju’s gonna take off.

-Tarik Black

Randle also possesses impressive ball handling skills for a power forward. He grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant rather than traditional power forwards like Karl Malone or Kevin Garnett, which has created an interesting perimeter game that relies on a mix of crossovers, spin moves, and brute force to get to the rim. Likewise, his passing is better than that of a traditional big, and he can draw extra defenders into the paint and then make them pay by kicking the ball out to open shooters.





It was these skills that the Lakers saw in Randle when they drafted him, hoping that he would become something of a more power-based version of Lamar Odom. The team is already encouraging him to dribble the ball up the floor when he grabs defensive rebounds rather than hand the ball off to a guard, which allows Randle to quickly initiate the fast break. Lakers management has been dying to see a return of the “Showtime” style of play for a few years now (that was the plan for the Nash/Howard/D’Antoni team), and both Randle’s skill set and that of passing prodigy D’Angelo Russell are steps in that direction.

The ability to run the fast break isn’t the only thing to like about Randle, either. He also epitomizes one of the recent trends in the NBA: the playmaking four. The stretch four revolution has come and gone, and while teams are still prioritizing competent shooting from their power forwards, there is an increased emphasis being placed on players who can put the ball on the floor when defenders close out. From there, a true playmaking four can either attack the basket or make the correct pass to the resulting open teammates. While this trend is largely led by Warriors forward Draymond Green, Randle’s skill set suggests he can eventually become one of the best playmaking fours in the league if he can patch up some of the holes in his game.

It’s common knowledge that Randle’s Achilles heel (sorry Kobe) is his jump shot, and that’s something that he has been diligently working on ever since he was able to step back on the court. If he can add a consistent jumper to his already diverse skill set then more room will open up for his drives (just as it did with Blake Griffin), and the Lakers will have one heck of a player locked up on a long-term rookie deal.

He’s a stretch four now and can shoot it. When he gets the ball off the rim, he’s pushing it as well too. It will open up a lot of things in terms of that. He can iso guys on the post. When you throw it in there, most times he’s getting the buckets. It will open up the game a lot for us.

- Jordan Clarkson

The Lakers organization has put so much faith in Randle that he was rumored to be the one player that the franchise refused to part with in any potential DeMarcus Cousins trade, which burned up the rumor mill for a few weeks over the summer. The team has confidence in Randle’s ability to overcome his injury and progress as a player, which should be music to the ears of Lakers fans.

To that end, here Randle is back in August working on a step-back move going to his right. This is designed to punish defenders who try to push him away from his dominant left hand, and demonstrates a keen awareness of the holes in his game. If Randle can add this shot to his repertoire, it’s going to make him a much more difficult cover and give him a solid chance to claim the starting power forward spot, which Coach Byron Scott is open to in spite of Randle’s status as a de facto rookie.





To add to the excitement revolving around Randle’s return, teammates and coaches have been raving about his performances in practice all summer. He has been working hard with a resurgent Metta World Peace, who has taken Randle under his wing to help prepare him for the coming season. While nothing can replace the experience he would have gained from his lost rookie year, learning tricks from an all-time defender like MWP will certainly help Randle be as ready as possible. It’s important to keep expectations low for a player coming off such a serious injury, but it’s tough not to be thrilled about quotes like this one:

I think he’s really quick. He’s quick and strong at the same time, which is tough. It’s like LeBron (James). LeBron is a bit more experienced. And if he gets that, and learns how to use angles and use his body, he’s going to be tough.

- Metta World Peace

In all the hoopla surrounding the drafting of D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson’s breakout rookie season, Randle has been somewhat overshadowed, out of sight and out of mind. However, if he can follow the same path as Blake Griffin and turn a tragic injury into a mere bump in the road then Julius Randle could be a key piece in the Lakers quest to return to the top of the NBA mountain.

 

:Beertoast: Nice Trevor!




Just came back after watching the video. Wow. Considering he was rusty, frustrated with not being able to play long enough to get into his old rhythm and certainly nowhere close to where he is now conditioning wise ........ you can just see his potential oozing. So quick and strong with the skills he has honed thus far from wanting to be Kobe while he was growing up instead of the Mailman. :twothumbs:

 

As much as I love Kobe Bryant and would love nothing more than for him to have a GREAT year for his age, maybe even add to his legend ....... my excitement for hoping Julius just blows the hell up this year as a "rookie", same way Biff was his second season for all intents and purposes save the rule.... Julius Randle making lemonade from the lemons dealt him on opening night last year...... is off the charts!

 

He usually intimidates opponents by flexing his biceps, roughing them up or scowling at them.

But Metta World Peace’s presence hardly scared Julius Randle.

Randle, who played only 14 minutes in his NBA debut last season before suffering a season-ending right leg injury, trained with World Peace this summer.

And the Lakers’ former No. 1 draft pick proved he could match and absorb World Peace’s strength.

“This guy is arguably one of the greatest defenders of all time, so my thing is, ‘Let me test myself.’” Randle recalled, laughing. “‘Let me see where I’m at and how good I am.’” I have no fear in anybody.”

Randle passed the test against World Peace, whose 17-year NBA career included a defensive player of the year award in 2004 and a key role in the Lakers’ 2010 NBA championship run.

Read rest at link: http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20150922/julius-randle-unafraid-unfazed-vs-metta-world-peace

 

Love that attitude!

 

Me too.