Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons to re-sign Julius Randle this offseason

2. He developed into a leader and got stronger physically and mentally last season

One of the biggest storylines heading into last season was that Julius Randle had come into training camp in the best shape of his career. He reportedly got his body fat down to six percent and that helped him have so much success on the court this season.

Even with his dramatic body transformation, the beginning of the Lakers season was actually a struggle for Randle. He felt like he was not getting enough playing time and he earned a bigger role. It was primarily because there was a logjam in the frontcourt for the Lakers, but he did not let that stop him.

He battled through his issues with playing time and eventually turned into an every night starter for the team. That alone shows his ability to be mentally tough in a difficult situation and lead by example by putting the team first.

He was even the only Laker to play in all 82 games this season, an impressive feat for someone who had to battle through injury from Day One in his career. This shows how he has trained his body to become one of the toughest guys on the roster both physically and mentally.

The other young players on the Lakers roster can look to Randle to lead them in the right direction, but that can only happen if he sticks around.