On the heels of his best performance in his early Lakers career, Julius Randle provided an interesting quote to the media in the locker room. When talking about his childhood days of playing ball, Randle said (via Mark Medina of Inside the Lakers):
"“People used to tell me I’m going to be the next Shaq,” said Randle, the 6-9, 250 pound forward growing in height and strength at an early age. “I said, ‘I don’t want to be the next Shaq. I want to be the next Kobe.’ I always dribbled the ball everywhere I went.”"
Randle certainly looked like a unique hybrid of both on Wednesday, going coast-to-coast, finishing from the mid-range, denying lobs at the rim, and finishing in the post.
Growing up in Texas, Randle has said that, growing up, Bryant was his favorite player. Consider it a dream come true for Randle, playing with his favorite player. And at just 19 years old, Randle has so much growing to do, meaning he can still grow into a Shaquille O’Neal or a Bryant, or Julius Randle.
For now, we’ll hold out judgement, but he looks more like Lamar Odom or Zach Randolph than Bryant or Shaq. Who do you think Randle’s game looks most similar to? Let us know down below!