The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Julius Randle with the seventh pick in the 2014 draft, but let him walk after his rookie contract. They renounced his restricted free agency rights and watched him go to New Orleans. The Lakers won just 99 games in his four seasons in LA and signing LeBron James ended Randle’s tenure.
The 6’9 big man became an All-Star and elite scorer in New York, but many issues that plagued him in Los Angeles remained. His effort was questioned, and the head-scratching plays continued. Randle puts up massive numbers, but does he impact winning like a star?
The Lakers have their own issues but are watching Chris Finch and the Timberwolves realizing the full Randle experience. Finch coached him in New Orleans, but even he was not fully ready for the scrutiny after Minnesota reached the conference finals in 2024.
Timberwolves are realizing Julius Randle’s play can be maddening
Randle averages 20.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 0.8 steals in 33.2 minutes per game this season. He is shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent on his 3-point attempts. The numbers look strong, but their defense would be the best in the NBA when he is off the floor and is middle of the pack with him. His advanced metrics look strong, but fans are not always happy.
Randle’s lack of effort and awareness on plays like this has fans screaming at their television. He is known for over-dribbling and giving up easy buckets. It is part of the reason why Minnesota is 12-11 after reaching the conference finals. Trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo has not worked. Minnesota is searching for answers and may flip the three-time All-Star before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Lakers fans know the Randle story too well. They drafted him to be their next star but quickly moved on as LeBron arrived. King James had Los Angeles bring in veterans with experience winning games. Randle did not have that and has still only played in one playoff series his team won in a decade in the league. The issues are well-documented going all the way back to the start of his career in LA.
Things will likely improve in Minnesota. Anthony Edwards is a rising star, and Rudy Gobert always anchors an elite defense. The Wolves will be a playoff team in the West with the upside to make a deep run. Randle and DiVincenzo will play better with more time to acclimate, but the three-time All-Star will provide some frustrating moments along the way.
The Los Angeles Lakers have their own issues to sort out, but fans know all too well what life is like with Julius Randle as a key contributor. There is certainly no envy in Lakerland.