Lakers: 3 Things We Learned In Losing To Golden State

January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton (left) hugs Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24, right) after the game at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton (left) hugs Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24, right) after the game at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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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
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

2. There’s No Reason To Sour on Julius Randle

With his recent struggles coupled with the emergence of rookie Larry Nance Jr., there have been quite a few people who have been left questioning Julius Randle. He’s been in the midst of a horrendous scoring slump that has simply seen his shot not fall and, as a result, has seen Randle become visibly frustrated with himself and with his team.

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However, Randle was one of the most dominant forces on the floor for the Lakers against the Warriors consistently. While it must be mentioned that he had a lot of success attacking an injured Draymond Green, he was also smart enough when on the floor to realize his advantage in that matchup because of that and exploit it. The second-year forward finished the night with 14 points on 7-14 shooting in 30 minutes of action while also adding nine rebounds and three assists to his total.

If anything, Thursday night proved that there is no reason to be worried about Randle and what he’s going to be for the Lakers in the future just yet. He’s still just 21 years old and has a tremendous amount of NBA level skills already. It’s going to take some time before he’s a night-in, night-out double-double machine that fans want him to be, but he showed against one of the league’s best on Thursday that the tools for him to be that haven’t gone anywhere.

Next: No. 1 They're Still Mismanaging Kobe's Minutes

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