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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from opening night loss to Clippers

By Kenneth Teape

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after he is fouled by Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers during the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers home opener at Staples Center on October 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after he is fouled by Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers during the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers home opener at Staples Center on October 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from opening night loss to Clippers
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 10: Julius Randle #30 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the preseason game against the Utah Jazz on October 10, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Julius Randle No-Shows

If the Lakers are going to take a step forward this season, Julius Randle is one of the players they need to play well. The fourth-year forward will be relied upon to be a leader of sorts for the team, but against the Clippers, he fell well way short of those expectations.

With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope serving his suspension, the Lakers needed to make some changes to their starting lineup. They decided to insert Luol Deng as the small forward, with Larry Nance Jr. at power forward. This is something that didn’t sit well with Randle according to some people.

That would seem to be accurate based on how Randle played. His stat line isn’t bad, as he scored nine points with six rebounds, one assist and one block, but he played an awful game. He was lackadaisical defensively, allowing his opponent to basically score at will. He just didn’t look interested in the game, as his body language was poor and he didn’t bring much energy to the court.

It was a bad message to send to his coaching staff and teammates. While Randle may have been upset about not starting, he could have responded in a much more constructive way. Pouting about it and then not giving effort in the game is not the way to get into the starting lineup.

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