Julius Randle Will Contend for the Rookie of Year Award
For the first time in a long time, the Lakers had a lottery pick this off season. Getting the 7th pick in this year’s draft class was big because this year’s class was one of the most talented draft classes seen in a while. Kentucky power forward Julius Randle ended up being the player who the Lakers selected with the 7th pick. I think it was a fantastic pick by the Lakers that will pay dividends now and into the future.
Julius Randle was one of the two most NBA ready prospects in this year’s draft class. Randle comes in at a bulky 6’9”, 250 pound frame. Physically, Randle gets compared a lot to the Grizzlies Zach Randolph. Randolph comes in at 6’9”, 260 pounds. Randle was one of the strongest players in the nation last year and he clearly has an NBA ready body.
While Randle does have the body to take on the grind of the NBA’s low post, he does have a physical deficiency that could limit his growth as a player: his wingspan. The vast majority of the NBA’s big men have wingspans that are much bigger than their height. A lot of centers measure in at over 7’3” wingspans. Randle only has a wingspan size in between 6’11” and 7 feet. Compared to other NBA big men, Randle is built like a T-Rex.
His short wingspan will not doom him in the NBA, however. There are three other big men with wingspans under 7 feet who thrive in the NBA (Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Thaddeus Young), so there’s no reason as to why Julius Randle won’t either.
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Julius Randle was still a rebounding machine in college. He led the nation in total rebounds and was 10th in rebounds per game. Randle would use his superior strength alongside his rock solid rebounding fundamentals to out rebound his opponents. Julius Randle is also a good offensive player. He has a very polished post game going to his left hand. His right hand isn’t as developed, but he has time to add to his arsenal. Randle isn’t really much of a shooter. He showed some good mechanics but he can’t be trusted to make his jumpers consistently. Randle is best as a classic, back to the basket power forward. A real throwback compared to a lot of the NBA’s current power forwards.
Julius Randle is an immensely talented individual who will do some very good things next year, if given the chance to. The race will be between three players. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker will outscore Randle because they will get more touches. Their teams are weak offensively so they will shoot the ball more. Randle has the potential to average a double-double right off the bat thanks to his rebounding ability. He will also shoot a higher percentage than other two. The competition will be stiff. If Julius Randle gets enough minutes, not only will he contend for the Rookie of the Year award, he could actually win it.
The only question about Randle will be if he gets enough minutes next year. His short wing span affects his ability to play defensive. He can’t be put out there with any other big man. Randle can’t play with Carlos Boozer because the rim protection would abysmal. This means that Randle will be playing alongside Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre/Ed Davis. Hill is an excellent rebounder and it could cut into Randle’s production. Hill and Davis can at least provide average rim protection and Sacre will ensure that Randle doesn’t have to go up against the true giants of the league.
I think Byron Scott will feed the big man early and often to see exactly what he can do against NBA competition. How he plays early on will have a big say in whether or not he’s trusted enough to play 30+ minutes. Hopefully, Julius Randle can get it going early and the Lakers can feed him early and often.
He likely won’t be a top 5 big man in the future but I think he could realistically develop into a David Lee-like player. Offensively gifted and a very good rebounder. He will need to be helped on the defensive end by a defensive oriented player going forward. Overall, I like Julius Randle’s chances for the rookie of the year award. If he gets enough playing time.