4. Julius Randle 2014-18
Julius Randle is a “what could’ve been” scenario with the Lakers. He had a lot of untapped potential in Los Angeles that he showed glimpses of but never really took the next step. When he left the Lakers in 2018 he showed all that potential, unfortunately, it took place in New Orleans.
Granted Randle didn’t play for very good Lakers teams, so his on/off numbers and offensive and defensive ratings aren’t elite. They continuously got better each year. His rookie year he only played one game so minus that we will start with his 2015-16 season.
That year a 21-year-old Randle would play in 81 games and averaged 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He would do it shooting only 42.9% from the field. His offensive rating was a low 98.9 rating, while his defensive rating was 113, with a -14.1 net-rating that was considered very bad at his position.
2016-17 Randle would take a jump in his game as he would average 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game on better efficiency. He would raise his FG% to 48.8% and his offensive rating would go up to 104.2. His defensive rating would slightly drop to 114, but his impact of a net-rating would get better to a -9.8. His eFG% and TS% would both be on the rise too as he continued his upward trend.
In his last season with the Lakers in 2017-18, Randle would continue going upward as it would be his best. Playing in all 82 games he would average 16.1 points and eight rebounds per game, while also improving his FG% to a career-high 55.8%. His eFG% of 56.3% and TS% of 60.6 were also both a career-high for him.
His offensive rating would go up to 107 and his defensive rating would drop to 108.4. The fact that he was able to have a -1.4 net-rating on a 35-47 Lakers team was a feat in itself. His career growth lands him at the number three spot and it’s a shame he didn’t get to see more time in a Lakers uniform.