The Lakers received great news that Julius Randle has been cleared for contact drills. Along with this news, many videos were posted showing a slimmed down Randle working hard on his game at the Lakers’ practice facility. This is obviously huge given the devastating broken leg that he suffered during the first game of the season after showing so much promise during summer league and the preseason.
-== 5 Determining Factors for Lakers’ Julius Randle’s Future ==-
But, as exciting as it may be to see the Lakers 7th overall pick from last year’s draft inching closer to becoming fully healthy, Randle really shouldn’t factor into the Lakers’ offseason plans.
I know that seems harsh so let me explain. After the worst back to back seasons in franchise history, it is imperative that the Lakers aim big (no pun intended) this offseason. And word on the street is the Lakers are diligently planning to make the right moves to get this franchise back on the championship track. Because, as we Lakers’ fans know, this team is measured by championships, not division titles like the other Los Angeles basketball team.
So, back to the topic at hand, why shouldn’t Randle factor into the Lakers’ offseason? Well, for starters, we have no idea what Randle’s contributions are going to be in meaningful games (i.e., not summer league or preseason games). We have idea how he will respond once opposing team’s start game planning for him. We have idea if he is injury prone, or if his foot and leg injuries were simply outliers. We have no idea if he will be able to score or defend against opposing power forwards. Get the picture?
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As a result of this uncertainty, the Lakers should approach the draft and free agency with a simple plan: Get the best players available.
Thankfully, with the draft, most of the top projected players aren’t power forwards (although Karl Anthony-Towns could probably play power forward). Assuming, as is predicted by some, that the Timberwolves take Towns (who I believe the Lakers would pick in a heartbeat if available), the Lakers should not make their pick based upon how a particular player will fit with Randle. Case in point: If the Lakers believe Jahlil Okafor is the best player available, they should take him without hesitation regardless of the legitimate concerns about how him and Randle would be defensively together.
This same logic should apply to the Lakers approach to free agency. If the Lakers have any real chance at signing LaMarcus Aldridge (which I have previously advocated for) or Kevin Love, they should absolutely go for it regardless of their perceived fit with Randle. As I mentioned when I advocated for signing Aldridge, it would seem to make sense to have Randle play off the bench in a Lamar Odom 6th man type role next year anyway, allowing him to play a reasonable number of minutes and go against other team’s second units.
Further, if the Lakers strike out on the big name free agents but the front office believes that the likes of Paul Millsap, Brook Lopez, Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, etc. would help towards building a championship caliber roster, then they should not hesitate to sign any of them.
Now, obviously, this article has focused only on players that would seem to be less than ideal fits with Randle, either because they play the same position as him or because they aren’t known as defensive players. But that is simply to make my point that the Lakers need to approach this offseason looking to get the best players, period.
Indeed, by not having Randle factor into their offseason plans and simply targeting the best players available, the Lakers will give themselves the best chance to infuse their roster with talent. And after enduring these past two disastrous seasons, that is certainly something to get excited about.