2015 NBA Draft: Which Top Prospects Fit Best With Julius Randle?

After winning three games in a row, things got a little scary for the Lakers and their draft plans. The Lakers now hold a 4.5 game lead on the Denver Nuggets to remain in the top five for the 2015 NBA Draft. The Nuggets are going to give the Lakers a run for their money as they have now lost five out of their last six games. Regardless of what other teams do, the odds of the Lakers losing their first round pick are very slim so don’t worry Laker fans.

The NBA draft lottery doesn’t promise anything, so whether the Lakers have the first pick, or the fifth pick, the only thing that can be assured is that the Lakers are selecting a player that will hopefully play alongside Julius Randle for the next 10-15 years.  The four-headed monster of this years’ draft class of Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Emmanuel Mudiay give the Lakers several options looking into the future.  We’ll rank which of those four best fit with Randle, as the fifth member of the top five is a spot that is up for grabs.

First, let’s analyze Julius Randle, so we know exactly what type of player we are talking about. Randle is a 6’9″ 250 pound freak of nature from Kentucky who the broke his leg in his first game of the season against the Clippers.  Because of this we can only look at Randle’s preseason and his lone year at Kentucky.  Randle’s biggest flaw coming into the NBA was his lack of an outside shot, as he only made three 3-pointers in 40 games playing for Coach Calipari.  In fact, Randle had yet to make a jump shot nine games into the season, when Draftexpress.com released their scouting report video on him.

Randle did not make a 3-pointer in the preseason either but did show some confidence in his mid-range game, even though he failed to connect on a majority of his attempts.

Randle’s other flaw is his inability to protect the paint.  Randle’s 6’11” wingspan is not what GM’s look for when drafting the ideal big man.  Combine that with an average max-vert of 35.5 inches, and Randle can be a bit of a liability down low on defense.  Take a look at this play:

Keep in mind that Russ Smith is listed at 6’0″, and very easily may be shorter than that.

However, a top ten prospects has to have some strengths.  There are parts of Randle’s game that had GM’s such as Mitch Kupchak raving.  To start with, Randle has great mobility for his size.  He can run the floor, and beat his man off the dribble and get to the rim.  Randle got into the paint with ease at Kentucky, and his 289 free throw attempts finished first in the SEC, and seventh nationally.

Randle was also one of college basketball’s best rebounders, finishing second in the nation in defensive rebounding, and fourth in offensive rebounding.  Randle’s strength allows him to box out his man and get better positioning than anybody on the court.  Randle is not what you would call the prototypical modern-NBA rebounder like DeAndre Jordan, or Anthony Davis.  Instead, he is more like Zach Randolph, or Kevin Love, and uses his body, and anticipates where the ball is going to go.

Lastly, Randle has the potential to be a very good pick and roll player in the NBA on both sides of the ball.  His quickness for his size allows him to handle NBA’s guards on switches while his strength and finishing abilities allow him to be a threat on the roll.

Now that we have our constant variable, let’s look at who will best compliment Randle’s game.

Next: Jahlil Okafor