Los Angeles Lakers: Analysis of Julius Randle after two seasons in the NBA

Mar 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA: Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) reacts during overtime of a NBA game at the Staples Center. LA Lakers won 130-119. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA: Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) reacts during overtime of a NBA game at the Staples Center. LA Lakers won 130-119. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Los Angeles Lakers
April 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward James Michael McAdoo (20) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

– Inside Shooting

During the 2015-2016 season, Julius Randle attempted a total of 396 shots at the rim with a field goal percentage of just under 57 percent. In contrast, this season the power forward shot a much improved 64.9 percent from the field while attempting 339 shots in the paint.

A notable area of improvement has been Randle’s ability to make lay-ups around the rim at a higher percentage. In the 2015-2016 season, he shot 50 percent on 309 attempts. These numbers greatly improved this season, as the big-man knocked down just under 59 percent of his 275 lay-up attempts at the rim.

That said, Randle lacks a diverse set of post moves as he relies heavily on his strength and speed to get lay-ups or dunks for the majority of his baskets down low. The past two seasons, Randle only attempted 16 hook shots and 18 jump shots, only three of which were taken last season.

– Outside Shooting

When it comes to the 22-year-olds outside shooting, there have been signs of improvement as he marginally increased his field goal percentages this season from nearly everywhere on the court. The most notable improvement is demonstrated in his shots taken from 10-16 feet away from the basket, where the Kentucky product shot 50 percent on 48 attempts this season in comparison to just under 23 percent on 66 attempts the prior season.

One area in which Julius Randle has struggled to progress thus far has been his three-point shooting. In the 2015-2016 season, the power forward shot just under 28 percent on 38 attempts. However, this year he shot under 27 percent from deep on 64 field goal attempts.