Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) directs the offense during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Julius Randle: Young Obi-Wan Kenobi
In the prequel trilogy (as problematic as those films may be to Star Wars fans), the first film starts off with Obi-Wan Kenobi still serving as a Jedi apprentice. He is clearly gifted in his control of the force and as a fighter, but his impulsiveness often got him into trouble and he still had much to learn. You know, kind of like Julius Randle has been through the start of his first full season in the NBA.
There’s clearly immense talent with Randle that is going to be valuable moving forward with the rebuild in Los Angeles. His grasp for the game and his raw, physical skills are going to take him far. This was the case with a young Obi-Wan as well as he was still receiving his training, but was still able to accomplish great things for the ultimate good of the Republic.
Much like with Obi-Wan, though, there is a way that things could go with Randle as he moves forward in his career. If he remains blinds to his flaws in his game (such as developing his off-hand offensively)—much like Kenobi and his mentoring of Anakin Skywalker—things could wind up poorly and he could wind up in exile as did Obi-Wan on Tatooine.
Next: D'Angelo Russell