Pete and I are back with our 2nd episode of the Laker Film Room Podcast. In this episode, we talk all things Julius Rande, the new collective bargaining agreement, and take a few mailbag questions.
Click through below to listen to the pod.
https://soundcloud.com/user-456873398/the-curious-case-of-julius-randle
wwlofficial says
Karl Malone couldn’t shoot from outside at the start of his career either. But he improved over time. To an extent where his 18-20-foot jumper became a real weapon of his when his athleticism slowly diminished over time.
My problem w/ Randle has never been physical or the skillset which he will never possess like shoot the 3, my biggest problem w/ him has always been mental. That, I dunno if its fixable.
david__h says
darius: very nice podcast guys.
He is a paradox; that’s for sure. His momentary lapses on the court can be attributed to overthinking his next move. he’s still rookie like in many ways, shows large potential with god given skills; had a one and done college stint and fortunately was picked seventh in the draft by the lakers.
for laker nation’s sake, I’m rooting for his development in all areas as outlined insightfully by both you and pete. And, for pete’s sake, keep up the good work.
Go lakers
KevTheBold says
Seems Randle was listening, at least with regards to defense last night.
His five blocks were notable.
What bothers me about Randle however, is his decision making, and his offense.
He often makes up his mind to shoot no matter what.
Then 90% of the time makes the exact same move, fake right, then spin left then shoot a awkward looking hook shot that rarely hits.
LKK says
Randle is a very typical ball player in today’s NBA. As an AAU and high school player, his physical gifts were enough to dominate. His one and done college career was at a school geared towards turning out pros, Kentucky. He probably developed little during his one year in school, bolted and got paid. Can’t blame him. Problem is, against the best players in the world, his weaknesses are exposed and often exploited. It’s on him. He’s the one who has to put in the work and accept the coaching that can turn his potential into an outstanding, high level career.
wwlofficial says
My feelings on Randle do not coincide with most of Laker fans. I did like him over Exum, Smart and Gordon, I think he was the 5th best player in the 2014 draft, and up to today, lots of players from that class have not panned out as 3rd year players.
1. Andrew Wiggins
2. Jabari Parker
3. Joel Embiid
4. Zach Lavine
5. Julius Randle
Now I would be lying to you if I had predicted Lavine to be this good, I think the Wolves got a steal in him. Not only because he dunks like crazy but his improvement in just 2 full years has been impressive. Embiid, was the guy I was hoping we’d pick because his injury would’ve assured our tanking. It did not pan out that way, and therefore we landed the best guy based on our draft position.
3 years later (only 2, actually), I feel like Randle has developed quite a bit. He is fiery, he is passionate and he is competitive. Those 3 adjectives you like to have in your player. Skill-wise, he is also physically gifted, although his hands are not as long as we all would like it to be for a 6’9 guy. He can dribble and create a bit like a guard and he can push the ball after a rebound. Oh boy can he rebound.
However, the limitations that force Randle into an above-average bench player are in between his ears. He isn’t very bright, he doesn’t make good decisions and he is often reckless. The passion is misplaced and the fire in him results to disaster because his emotions get the most of him.
Now don’t get me wrong, he is still a very good player for all intents and purposes. I just don’t like him based on his decision-making. I believe this year would be a good time to venture takers for him as he is still owed 2 years of cheap salary, before we get to the point of bargaining his next contract.
Julius Randle is still coachable, and pretty sure Walton can help him alot. However, from the basketball standpoint, trading him for more glaring needs of the team (interior defense, 3+D specialist) and to provide a good environment for Deng to succeed as stretch-4, might just be a good avenue to explore.
PS, we don’t trade him just for the sake of doing so, we find ourselves a good deal.
LordMo says
He is having his first child so I can see why Randle was out of whack. Hopefully, he will get back in the swing of this here like tomorrow! You guys know I’m critical of Julius but he has been improving needs to keep on that arc and become consistent. He should have about 16/10 every game. Needs to learn to use that body and strength to wear opponents down instead of finesse ball. At times he look like a big ballerina trying to tip toe and pirouetting (always to the left…lol) all over the court. But there have been flashes where he showed some really good footwork in the post and finished with a quality shot attempt. Also, has come down and channeled Karl Malone a few times and powered it home. He is improving but we are fighting for his Basketball Identity because I like “Darth Randle” better. He needs to learn to establish that game first make them try to take it away then counter with his “finesse game” but he is doing better I will give him that much. Keep it up young fella!
LordMo says
Dont forget JC who is rated as high as 4th in a few redrafts but most have Randle 4 or 5 also. The Lakers drafted well considering who was available. No doubt we got NBA level players just got to see if develop into SS, AS, or Role level NBA players. I believe there will be some All-Star levels years out of this current batch. However, not seeing that “Generational Talent in one of these guys needed for sustained runs but it would be nice to be wrong about that.