Lakers Offseason: Julius Randle Looking Absolutely Shredded This Summer
By Eric Yee
Julius Randle is the latest member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ young core to show off his new and improved physique
Prior to the offseason officially even starting, Lakers’ forward, Julius Randle made a promise that he would use this summer to become “great” and his hard work has already started to pay off.
Currently listed on ESPN’s site as 6’9, 250 pounds, it appears that Randle has taken to the sand to cut down weight, similar to what LeBron James did when making his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Judging by the picture above, it looks like Randle has cut about 10 to 15 pounds of fat, revealing a lean, muscular frame below. Knowing what we now know about his injury history, cutting weight seems like a sure fire way to remove any lingering leg issues.
During his #LakersWork segment, trainer Tim DiFrancesco made it known that they are focusing on getting his lower body and core stronger as well. Dropping pounds will not only help his health but will likely make him even more explosive to the boards and quicker out in the open court.
One of the jabs at Randle is that his game lacks finesse and that he could be seen as a little clunky and out of shape on occasion, especially on the defensive end of the floor, so it’s nice to see him taking that criticism to heart and working on eliminating any doubt.
Another positive sign about the junior forward is that he definitely takes the process seriously, even lashing out at Time Warner Cable reporter, Mike Bresnahan for saying he’s “skipping summer ball to rest.”
Guessing Randle's skipping summer ball to rest. He's been doing private two-a-days: weight-lifting in a.m., working with shot coach in p.m.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 1, 2016
It is to be expected that young athletes coming into the league will need time to grow into their bodies but the rate at which Randle, Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell are expediting that process it should serve as a warning sign to all teams in the league: the Lakers’ young core is tired of being overlooked.
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Since Clarkson and Randle will be skipping Summer League fans will have to wait until pre-season to see if their hard work has paid off but judging by the pictures floating around the internet, it definitely already has.