Lakers youngsters D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle have reportedly been invited to play with the USA Select Team this summer
More than anything else in their current state, the Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise with their eyes on transitioning into the future. That their roster is almost wholly comprised of young up-and-comers, the hiring of Luke Walton, and the retirement of Kobe Bryant are all clear signifiers of that.
The good news, though, is that the Lakers are going to get some serious help this offseason in regards to their young players working to develop their games to better suit the future of the organization—or at least two of the young stars.
According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, point guard D’Angelo Russell and power forward Julius Randle have been invited to play as members of the USA Select Team this summer:
Sources: Lakers' D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle invited to play for USA Select Team this summer. They'll compete against Olympic team.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 13, 2016
This is huge for both Russell and Randle. Though they obviously aren’t part of Team USA and won’t be traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Olympics, they are going to be training and competing against Team USA to ready them.
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NBA fans can recall numerous occasions in years past in which playing with the USA Select Team and taking part in these camps has been hugely beneficial to young players and there’s no reason that can’t be the case with the Lakers duo. Russell and Randle will get to look at the very best players in the league not just from an angle of an opponent, but behind the scenes in regards to regimen, workout, routines, and everything in between.
Especially when you think about players like Russell and Randle who have obvious room to grow and mature both as players and professionals, this experience for two of the most important players on the Lakers roster in regards to their future is going to be huge.
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It’s still just an invitation to this point, but you have to expect that both Russell and Randle when they accept. If they do, everyone—including the Lakers—is going to win when it’s all said and done.