Julius Randle's Development Should Be Priority No. 1 for Los Angeles Lakers
Julius Randle is the only thing standing between the Los Angeles Lakers and a lost season.
The Lakers are going to make noise this year, but that'll mainly be because they're surrounded by more microphones than most NBA teams. The sound will signify little in terms of on-court relevance, though.
You don't have to agree that L.A. might be the worst team in the league by season's end, but you must concede that the playoffs feel like a long shot.
This is a stopgap period between eras. Kobe Bryant playing out two more years, short-time vets filling out the roster and Byron Scott running the show with an alarmingly old-school style ill-suited for whatever future the organization has—all signs of the holding pattern.
Because the Lakers are stuck in neutral for the time being, the only thing that should matter is the development of young players who might still be around two years from now, when they shift into drive.
That's a short list. Randle is the only one on it.
Perplexing then, isn't it, that Carlos Boozer is on the roster. At 6'9" and 250 pounds, Randle is suited only for the power forward spot at this stage in his career. He's not quick or athletic enough to guard wings, and until he flashes a reliable jumper, he must play to his strengths as an interior scorer on offense.
Yet Boozer has started ahead of Randle in every Lakers preseason game, logging 116 minutes to Randle's 95 through five contests. This is difficult to comprehend.
Regularly pilloried for his defensive failures, Boozer is doing a heck of a job denying Randle the ball.
It takes time—years, really—to develop a prospect. So focusing on the first exhibition season of Randle's career is shortsighted. But you'd think that if the Lakers were as focused as they should be on grooming him, Randle would be collecting as many minutes as possible in games with no consequences.
Because Randle needs reps.
A flawed but promising player, the 19-year-old Randle should be getting ample time (now, and during the season) to add to his game. Broadly speaking, he doesn't fit the current power forward model because he can't shoot from range and does not impact the paint on defense.
Proof: Randle made just three triples in his one season at Kentucky and averaged less than one block per contest. As his game stands now, he's a little like Kenneth Faried with a better handle and a lower-RPM motor.
That's not to say he can't get better in those key areas; it'd be foolish to discount the potential for development in any 19-year-old project. It is to say, however, that Randle needs a chance to make those improvements.
He has to play.
Key figures in the Lakers organization seem aware of Randle's importance.
Bryant has taken on a larger mentoring role than he has in the past, though the Mamba's not-so-nurturing track record didn't set a very high bar. He seems interested in Randle's growth, though he expresses it in his own special way:
Scott has been rough on the rookie, though it's an old truism that coaches are hardest on the players they believe they can push furthest:
Besides, the Lakers head coach has offered praise when warranted as well:
And Randle seems to be handling the scrutiny nicely. Either that, or he knows enough to go with the program—pressure-packed as it may be:
The Lakers must hope that attention and the tough-love treatment don't backfire. It's going to take years before L.A. knows what it has in Randle. And it's hard to know whether the Lakers' unique situation will hasten or hinder his development.
On the one hand, there's usually value in the ample playing time and consequence-free environment of a lottery-bound team. On the other, it's not always ideal for a prospect to form his NBA habits and identity in a losing culture.
Say what you will about the Lakers, but they have not outwardly embraced the tank.
That refusal/inability to rebuild conventionally (thanks mostly to Bryant's contract extension) means there will be distractions aplenty this year. Scott is catching nonstop heat for antiquated offensive ideas:
And Bryant will continue to have his every word, gesture and field-goal attempt picked apart by the media.
In that sense, the Lakers will learn one thing about Randle right away: whether he can focus amid chaos.
"If Byron Scott coached in the NFL, I’m pretty sure he’d eschew the forward pass as gimmickry
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) October 17, 2014"
The overall aim should be to find out much more about Randle—beyond how he responds to Kobe's tutelage. Because, harsh as it sounds, Bryant isn't relevant to the Lakers' future.
"Prayers up for Julius Randle's mental stability and general sense of joy in life!
— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) October 20, 2014"
Randle is.
Even though much of the criticism aimed at Bryant, Scott and the rest of the Lakers of late has been fair, it's missed the mark. Whether pertaining to overall team construction, offensive strategies, contracts hampering progress or anything else, we've all been zinging L.A. from the wrong angle.
One question should color the way the Lakers view any criticism: How does it affect Randle?
The Lakers are (perhaps detrimentally) obsessed with their past, and they seem reluctant to accept the realities of the present.
They'd better do everything possible to develop the one guy on the squad who'll be a part of their future.
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