3. Julius Randle.
After missing almost his entire rookie season due to a broken leg on opening night, Julius Randle has emerged as one of the better power forwards in the game today. He was arguably the best player on the team last season.
He did everything the Lakers asked of him, coming into training camp in the best shape of his life last summer, and following it up with a monster season. Only LeBron, Giannis Antetekoumpo, and Anthony Davis averaged a better field goal percentage for the season in the restricted area.
The power forward averaged a team-high 16.1 (tied with Ingram and Kuzma) points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while connecting on 55.8 percent of his field goal attempts. At times he seemed unstoppable.
The kinks in his game were really starting to work themselves out. He’s a double-double machine and could go for a triple-double on any given night. He knows Luke’s system. Watching him and LeBron work in the front-court would be a thing of beauty. Also, he was the only player left on the roster from when Kobe was also on it.
He would’ve been the only one who played as a Laker with Kobe Bryant AND LeBron James. That’s a lot of valuable knowledge to soak up. This is one the Lakers will wish never got away a few years from now (or sooner).