i think randle's right hand has improved, and his midrange shot looks much better (looks way more comfortable taking it and is picking the right times to do so). the three is still ugly ugly and probably always will be. as john indicated, though, the hoop iq is still a problem (and i think that will also always be a problem--or at least he'll never both the athleticism and the know-how simultaneously). can you work with that? yes, i think so. but as a bench player. i'm still on the "start deng" train. i don't think kuzma's a pf right now (maybe not ever--he's thin and narrow-shouldered), and randle and nance are both backup 4s, imo.
I think his stamina and defense are much improved, @abeer3 along with his right hand and midrange J that you mention. Taking and making 3's he will have to figure out in games imo. As for starting Deng... I can't go there yet, after what we saw last year.
So being critical and willing to move him all of the last 2 months moves me behind you somehow? Maybe you haven't been reading what I've posted the 4 years since we drafted him. Julius was my favorite player on the team for years. When people were crushing him after the last season, it's been me who wrote essays defending him showing advanced statistics. When people jumped on Nance as the future of our PF position, it was me who proved that wrong. When people said we should give up on him because he wasn't smart enough, I was one of the loudest to say he was a young player. I've always seen myself in Julius as a player from when I was younger. I could dig up my post history, but I think most would remember what I posted. So I'm willing to move on now after 4 years and the same lapses mentally, that makes you a better fan I suppose? Last night Julius showed the same exact flaws he's always shown as well as the same positives. I don't think he played poorly. I think what he brought was important: edge. I still didn't see defensive attention to detail. I still don't see a shooter. After 4 years he has to have developed more in those areas in order to maintain a grip on his starting job. That might be hard for you to hear, but it's the truth. As of today Kuzma makes more sense as a starter and Randle makes more sense as a guy who can bring energy off the bench.
Solid D? Maybe in the paint but he constantly left Milsap open on the perimeter and failed to close out properly. - At this point if we're going to keep Randle he's better off the bench or at least playing less minutes with Lonzo.
No it doesn't make me a better fan. And I was right here the 4 years that you defended him, doing the same against trodgers and others. But you can't include Julius in every possible trade scenario over the summer and expect to be recognized as the "biggest Randle supporter." I mean, how is that even possible? Do Trump supporters say he is the greatest president ever but needs to be moved to Europe? lol I want to see Julius succeed as a Laker first and foremost. Not somewhere else. That's what supporters do, no?
Constantly? Yes, he left him open for that one play, but Millsap only took 3 three's and made 1. That's 1 out of the 15 three's that they made, so the problem isn't Julius but the entire team.
Every trade scenario? How wrong can you possibly be? I was willing to trade him for Paul George so that means I'm not his fan anymore? I'm willing to let him go for LeBron James, that makes me not a fan anymore? You realize what that means for his value? I didn't try to trade him for Carmelo Anthony or for Enes Kanter or something. Were you the one assembling arguments pointing out that Randle was a better player for us last year than D'Angelo? Were you the one pointing out that Randle improved in almost every category? I'm pretty sure it was me who spent hours doing that. So please don't embarrass yourself questioning my fandom just because I'm willing to trade a guy. I understand it's hard for you to take the criticism of a player on this team, but he's not perfect and while some of the hate here is over the top, Randle deserves a lot of criticism. I'm not going to go easy on him just because I like him. By the way blindly following a player doesn't make you a bigger or better fan than me. I want the best for Julius and as of right now he's not achieving that. If he's going to be the player you apparently think he already is, he's going to need to improve. That's the truth.
Yes. Yes. Yes, me too. And meanwhile, many posters thought Randle had more value than an one-year rental for PG. I've gotten used to it over the years, although things have escalated quickly since the previous scapegoat (dlo) left. Never said I was a bigger or better fan. I questioned why you are claiming to be the "biggest" Randle supporter. I've followed this thread almost every day for the past 4 years, and I'd say you are a neutral supporter, but not the biggest supporter. And I know what Julius needs to improve on. He's got his lapses and weaknesses. But I decide not to type it out because it would tip the scale over to the haters. That's my reasoning for focusing solely on the positives. I'm not blind.
Solid D should not be thought after the first two games. Doesn't matter how good an individuals defense is. 3 point defense these last 2 games were the worst i have seen in the 4 years the Lakers have stunk. They do not fix their defense, it really doesnt matter how "good" they play.
Once again, I just don't see that Randle is a problem - he's actually been one of our more productive players in these two games. I'm more concerned with Ingram who has not lived up to the hype at all. I see improvement from Randle this year as abeer3 mentioned. And that's what I want to see. Where is the Ingram who dominated that Summer League game and looked so promising the second half of last year? Randle's in better shape than ever, has shown flashes with the right hand, and has shown that he's more comfortable and effective with his shot. When we see him with Lopez it's going to look a lot better than what we are seeing right now. Lopez can space the floor better - Randle and Nance together is just horrible. And Lopez can do pick and roll and pick and pop with Lonzo, leaving Randle to do what he does best, play bully ball and be a 3rd option out there on offense.
Wrong. If you've been here four years, you'd see exactly how much I've fought for Randle. Just because you're willing to forgo Laker success to "support" a player on the team, doesn't mean you can make sweeping declarations on anyone else's fandom. I'm certain every fan here is a fan of the Lakers, yet you feel comfortable telling me what kind of fan I am? Do I need to dig through 228 posts to prove that I've fought for him more than most? Or because you're unwilling to post criticism, that makes you the biggest fan? And yes you did say you were a "bigger fan" by saying that you and @LTLakerFan were bigger fans than I am. Fine though, you want that distinction? Take it. You deserve it. If you're willing to not look critically at a player just because other people are hating on him, I wouldn't consider that being a bigger fan. I would consider that being a blind fan. Blind enough that you seem to forget how hard I fought for Randle as a player for this team, but not too blind to support your guy. Congratulations. You're the biggest Randle fan on this board. The honor is mine for speaking with you.
What I think the team needs is players that buy into Lonzo's concept: move the ball. Randle for his credit is trying, but the team is relying on isolation ball in half court settings. Randle actually might be our best isolation player in the half-court right now with Lopez out, but that's just not an ideal situation for him and it's why Ingram looks so bad right now too. I'd like to see players in the starting lineup who are going to move the ball the same way Lonzo does while flying defensively. I see effort from Randle and his conditioning helps him all over the place for sure, but I don't see increased intelligence making reads defensively and his jumper from outside is still clunky. His mid-range is nice, but his long-range is suspect. All in all, this last game was better to me, but I still think Kuzma has shown more upside. Randle at his most impactful controls the glass and then moves the ball offensively. We haven't seen that yet. It's possible Lopez changes that, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.
I don't want that title though LOL I just wanted to know why you felt the need to keep posting that you were the BIGGEST (not "one of the biggest") supporter. Biggest means #1 from my estimation, which implies that everyone else is below you. Whatever though, I don't want to stir things up.
Too late, you've earned it! I spent 4 long years fighting off people trying to trade Randle or give up on him and I take it personally that someone would question that. I spent too long, dug up too many stats, and now after 4 long years I'm finally willing to just concede he may not be my hopes and dreams. I hope that doesn't make me a non-fan of the kid. I still want him to succeed. I'd love if he proved everyone wrong and suddenly it clicked for him.
Julius Randle +/- from last night -13 & 3TOs He might had a good game last night, but he's not making anybody around him better. He's like a deer in the headlight everytime he touches the ball and a turnover machine. He can not read the offense at all.
i think this is a perfectly fair response. I know that personally, i'm just tired of what i believe is excessive dumping on Randle. I 100% agree that he's likely not in the long term plans and that's entirely justified. People just keep saying empty stats but there were several rebounds last night that Julius fought for. That's not empty in my opinion. I think that right now Julius and most of the players are thinking too much. Little things like always giving the ball to a point guard after a rebound go against his instincts and some of his skillset. I know I'm frustrated with some knee-jerk reactions and believe we need to give this team another 20 games or so to really see what we've got and what moves need to be made
This is exactly what I was pointing out in my last post. I don't call 3 TOs a turnover machine, especially when Lonzo had 4 in the first half. Every single starter except KCP had an awful +/-, so why are we harping on Julius not making people better? I don't think anyone here is asking or expecting Julius to be the guy that elevates those around him. That's on the shoulders of Lonzo and Ingram IMO.
Yes! I like Randle, too. This is his 3rd year on the court and it has only been 2 games, but I think we can all see that Kuzma is a better fit with Lonzo and a perfect fit for what Luke is trying to accomplish offensively. I hope Lopez starts next game. I want to see what the starting 5 looks like when we get a player who the opposition has to focus on; Julius specifically.
OK I'll share the title with you, LT, wallangong and lakerjones. #TeamRandle In the 2 preseason games, it seems Randle has made the biggest leap on this team AGAIN. His jumpshot, right-hand, stamina, athleticism, and defensive intensity are all things that I see as improvements. It still doesn't make him a complete player, but it's unrealistic to ask for more in 4 months. People keep saying that he's the exact same player as last year and I couldn't disagree more.
