Julius Randle's Versatility Unlocks LA Lakers' Options for 2015 Offseason

It’s easy to forget the promise Julius Randle represented for the Los Angeles Lakers before a broken leg robbed him of his rookie season. But with last year’s No. 7 draft pick from Kentucky back on track, we are reminded how much he can affect the team’s ongoing rebuild.

Randle fractured his right tibia just 14 minutes into his regular-season debut October 28. While recovering the rest of this past campaign, he also had a procedure to replace a screw in his foot from a high school injury.

The 20-year-old power forward has since resumed basketball activities as he aims for summer league action in Las Vegas next month. 

Randle is also lighter and faster now, having lost 18 pounds. As he told Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, “I’m able to move better, get off my feet quicker.”

That’s good news in a league where multipositional versatility has become the vogue. At 6’9”, Randle could become the kind of hybrid forward that is so important in the modern NBA.

Forum Blue and Gold’s Darius Soriano recently examined the former Wildcat’s progress:

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The most interesting takeaway isn’t that he’s healthy, but that he’s lost as much weight as he has and the positive benefits he is attributing to being lighter. A Randle who is quicker off his feet, better able to recover when getting tired, and moving around the floor with more ease is a player even more dangerous. 

If he’s able to retain his functional strength with the lighter frame, watch out. He will essentially bring quickness and skill of a smaller player to the PF position. If you have been watching the playoffs, you only need to see how the Warriors and Cavs have benefited from Draymond Green and LeBron bringing the skillset of a wing player to the PF spot.

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Soriano goes on to caution that it’s way too early to compare an untested prospect to those elite players. Yet the point remains that Randle’s developing skill set opens up the possibility of rotating situationally—an important attribute for a team that has been challenged at the small forward position in recent years.

Heading into the draft, L.A. has the Nos. 2, 27 and 34 picks. This has led to a cattle call of epic proportions as the team meets and works out everyone from late-round bubble hopefuls to elite lottery prospects.

There’s no guarantee the team takes three players June 25—the front office could opt to trade or package picks in a variety of scenarios. But it’s interesting to consider how Randle’s versatility could play into the offseason process.

If the Lakers select Duke’s Jahlil Okafor as their second overall pick, they’ll get a classic back-to-the-basket center with an arsenal of low-post scoring weapons. In that case, management is likely to prioritize acquiring a defensive-minded wing who can cover some of Okafor and Randle’s lateral liabilities.

But with Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, the Lakers would get a superior defender who can play both center and power forward. Towns’ ability to move his feet and cover a lot of territory could result in Randle sliding over to the 3 in certain situations and using his strength against post-up opponents.

Towns and Randle didn’t play together at Kentucky—the one-and-done freshmen were a year apart. But last year’s No. 7 pick wouldn’t mind forming a Wildcat wall. “It wouldn’t be bad at all,” Randle said, per Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.

There’s also the enticing, if fleeting, anticipation of how a young and formidable frontcourt could help augment the swan-song return of the legendary Kobe Bryant. It would be both the beginning and end of eras.

If the thought of how Randle could integrate with this year’s rookie class—as well as Bryant—is intriguing, so is the free-agency process. How might the combination of new draftees, a rehabbed Randle and the success of NBA All-Rookie First Team member Jordan Clarkson impact the Lakers’ continued build-out?

The left-handed Randle and lanky, ball-handling guard Clarkson weren’t able to showcase their paired potential this season—although there were some sloppy yet entertaining summer league previews.

But despite what we haven’t yet witnessed, there are some obvious needs. Those include aggressive defenders, spot-up shooters who can come off screens and perhaps a veteran pass-first point guard to add depth to the rotation.

One of the obvious and perhaps most controversial guard candidates this summer will be Rajon Rondo. The four-time All-Star may be on the decline, especially after a disastrous stint with the Dallas Mavericks. But even so, Rondo could be an automatic delivery system for the Mamba in his final season.

The former Boston Celtic champion might also mesh effectively with Randle. Both are former Wildcats, although Rondo cut his teeth in Orlando “Tubby” Smith’s defense-first system, while Randle thrived in John Calipari’s dribble-drive motion offense.

Yet, it’s not a stretch to see how both players could fit into the ball-sharing and defense-prioritizing sensibilities of Lakers coach Byron Scott.

Randle could also be a tremendous match with Milwaukee Bucks’ restricted free agent Khris Middleton—a rangy shooting guard who can nail three-pointers on one end and switch on defense on the other. That said, prying Middleton loose from the Bucks won’t be easy. As Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes: “All signs suggest they will match any deal he gets, and they have the space under the luxury tax line to do so.”

There’s also the question of Lakers free agent Ed Davis, who was signed to a minimum-salary deal last summer. Davis’ fundamental rim protection would have been a nice complement to Randle’s evolving game. The Lakers should re-sign Davis and give that hypothesis another chance.

The possibilities go on and on. But it’s easy to see that a healthy and mobile Randle opens up the options for the Lakers front office.

It has been nearly a year since one lottery pick climbed the stage on draft night and donned a purple-and-gold cap.

But as the offseason progresses, Julius Randle will be joined by other new faces, and he’ll take up where he left off.

And if he grows and develops into a multiposition player, the Lakers’ evolution will become that much easier.