Los Angeles Lakers Quarter Season Awards

Let’s face it, Laker fans. This year has been rough. Most knew it was not going to be a great year, but there was at least hope that the Los Angeles Lakers would be mildly competitive in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference of the NBA. Those hopes were crushed with alarming regularity. Nevertheless, with a quarter of the season in the books, there are still a few bright (and not so bright) spots that have risen from the rubble and can hopefully be built upon to improve the season and everyone’s sanity.

Get Well Soon (Please!) Award – Power Forward, Julius Randle

Let’s get rid of this depressing award first. Even though Ryan Kelly is most likely the only Laker to return from serious injury this year, Julius Randle easily gets the award as the injured Laker that is missed the most.

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Before the year began, Laker fans were resigned to the fact that Los Angeles weren’t going to be contenders for a championship or even a division title. However, even with those morose expectations, they were excited for the season because of what Julius Randle could bring to the table.

Admittedly, he was a raw talent, but he had strength and size. At the University of Kentucky, he showed he could rebound and defend well. In addition, he had a toughness that the Lakers sorely needed last year when gave up 109.2 points per game.

In the preseason, he averaged 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes a game, which is not going to set the world on fire, but it showed that he had the potential to make a real impact in the upcoming season with the Los Angeles Lakers lacking any real size. That was when it all came crashing down his first regular season game when he suffered a brutal leg injury. Now Laker fans will have to wait an entire year before they can enjoy the rough and tumble forward in all his bullish glory.

See you next year, big guy.