Julius Randle Needs Foot Surgery

The future lottery pick, Julius Randle, needs foot surgery.

What is surprising is, he’s still planning NBA workouts.  He’s going to make every effort he can to showcase his skills to other teams.  Those who are familiar with Julius Randle’s play can argue that he looked more explosive in high school, compared to the NCAA level.

Could this be the reason why?

Less than a week ago, Kentucky Sports reported: 

"UK’s star of stars last season, Julius Randle, continues to prepare for the June 26 NBA Draft.Toward that end, Randle is working out near his Dallas area home three times a day, his mother,Carolyn Kyles, said.“He’s dropped about 20 pounds,” she said. “He’s eating right. He’s eating healthy.”A presumption would be that a slimmer, fitter Randle anticipates the need to play more on the perimeter at the NBA level.Randle has workouts scheduled this week with Orlando, Philadelphia and Boston. He also has a workout scheduled for the Los Angeles Lakers on June 17."

Julius Randle has taken steps to get into better shape.  Working out three times a day seems excessive, but it’s a reflection of his work ethic.  It’s a great example of his desire to play at the NBA level.  What may be worrisome is that Randle will be continuing workouts until surgery is required.  Surgery to get a screw removed from his foot may be considered minor, but any additional stress to the foot may give scouts a red flag when it comes to the draft.

It may also impact his rookie season tremendously.  He’s expected to miss two critical months of his NBA journey.  Missing out on the Summer Pro League pulls him away from start of learning a team’s culture.  It takes him away from initially gaining respect from teammates based on his productivity on the floor.

Hopefully, he recovers quickly.  His work ethic is there.  His talent may be too great to be passed on, even with foot surgery.