Julius Randle Breaks Leg, Lakers Lose 1 of Few Reasons for Hope in 2014-15
On a night that was supposed to be cause for celebration, the Los Angeles Lakers' season took a disastrous detour.
When rookie power forward Julius Randle crumbled to the hardwood after landing awkwardly on his right leg midway through the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 108-90 loss to the Houston Rockets, one of the few reasons the Lakers had to be optimistic suddenly evaporated.
ESPN Radio LA's Beto Duran shared a photo of Kobe Bryant and other Lakers players surrounding Randle following the injury:
The diagnosis: a broken right tibia.
Head coach Byron Scott confirmed the news shortly after the conclusion of Tuesday's contest, per the Lakers' Twitter account:
And just like that, one game into an 82-game journey, the Lakers' hopes have been dashed.
No, this wasn't a playoff team to begin with, but Randle provided a source of bright-eyed optimism that the Lakers haven't had since Andrew Bynum was drafted in 2005.
For once, homegrown talent was going to overshadow free-agent signings.
Remember, this is a franchise that's been fortunate enough to make just three lottery picks (Eddie Jones, Bynum and Randle) since the system was redesigned more than two decades ago.
Randle represented better days—a sort of bridge between the old guard and a prosperous future. Bleacher Report medical analyst Dr. Dave Siebert provided insight about the injury and Randle's projected recovery time:
For now, though, a sneak preview of what's to come will be put on hold as Randle rehabilitates and the Lakers determine what direction they're headed in.
As Scott told TNT's Rachel Nichols following the loss, Randle's injury will provide some of the Lakers' unproven pieces with a chance to prove their worth:
"I think naturally we're all thinking about Julius' well-being. Obviously the last four or five minutes of the game were not very important. It's more important to feel where he was and how he felt. I talked to him briefly, and we all feel bad. He's a young, promising player who was injured in his first game. He didn't say anything. He was crying a bit.
I told him to stay strong and that he's going to be a great player in this league. He will have to work harder. He has it in him. We will wait for him to get back. I just keep telling guys everybody's got to step up. When one guy goes down, another guy gets an opportunity, and you've got to take advantage of it.
"
Who steps up is a different question entirely.
A massive void needs to be filled, and there's no other player on the Lakers' roster who possesses the potential Randle wields in spades.
As Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote in July, Randle projected as a difficult matchup for opposing defenses despite his limitations as a jump-shooter:
"As a scorer, expect to hear the 'matchup nightmare' term get tossed around throughout the year. At 6'9", there just aren't many guys his size who have the lateral foot speed to contain him in space.
And that's where Randle is most dangerous, whether he's facing up in the mid-range or from the elbow, where he can attack his man and finish with touch on the move. His first step is quick, while his body control is smooth.
"
Sure, Ed Davis can play a stopgap role. He's arguably the team's best rim-protector and put forth an encouraging showing Tuesday consisting of 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes.
With Randle out, Davis may very well be asked to oscillate between the 4 and 5. Ryan Kelly is also capable of providing stability once he's healthy from a hamstring injury, but the former Duke Blue Devil is nothing more than a one-dimensional floor-spacer on a team that's firmly against spacing the floor.
But even if Davis, Kelly and the Lakers' hodgepodge of frontcourt options manage to outperform their modest deals, they aren't long-term pieces of the puzzle like Randle is.
After an avalanche of injuries thrust the Lakers into an unfamiliar realm of disappointment last season, a repeat performance appears to be in order.
And if Tuesday night was any indication, heavy doses of doom and gloom await.
Kobe Bryant may be back, but he scored just 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting in his season debut, while pulling down three rebounds and dishing out two assists in 29 minutes. As a team, the Lakers shot 35.4 percent from the field and 30 percent from the three. Only three Lakers players (Bryant, Davis and Carlos Boozer) finished in double figures, and the team was out-rebounded 47-36.
Mid-range jumpers were hopelessly thrust toward the rim as the Rockets bombed away from three and sliced into the paint at will, and you can expect the Lakers to continue spurning analytical convention as long as Scott's drawing up game plans.
SB Nation's Ben Rosales provided a comparison look at Scott's retro offensive lineup and a "modern, efficient NBA offense":
So now that Bryant's ceremonious ride into the sunset buoyed by a future franchise centerpiece has been derailed, the Lakers have been left with no clear direction as they wander deeper into the depths of basketball purgatory.
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