Julius Randle potential?

[KB.]

Hi guys,

Historically I haven't been a hobby prospector, but as there has been very little stuff coming up for my Aminu & Kemp PC, and an overstaturation which has led to boredom with my Drummond PC, I've been going in a few different directions with the PC.

I started pick ups of superstars and HOF's that I am a fan of, but only wanted 1 or 2 of each, and as that slowed I moved more to Prizm/Chrome base. But that has also now slowed, so I've been looking more into prospect pick ups which seems fun. My intention is to only grab a few nicer cards of players I think will see a spite in hobby love and potential superstars going forward. My strategy is also to pay under or close to the average price, which is a little challenging but fun when you land something for a good price.

Now to the question, I am finding myself drawn to the potential in Randle and he has been the focus of my bids the last couple of weeks. He was a higher pick in fairly 'stacked' draft, who could have been picked higher IMO. He also fell to a huge market team in the Lakers. So what I wanted to know is what the potential ceiling you guys see for this guy, player wise and hobby wise?

 

[nichj99]

I think he'll be very similar to Lamar odom hopefully without the messy end to his career but!

 

[ozguy3825]

Something to think about is the talk about a trade between LA and the Suns. Lakers are stacked at the PF spot so his minutes and growth may take a little longer but if he does get traded then i think he will come on a lot quicker. As a Lakers fan i really dont know what to expect from him atm. Reports are good but the reports were good about Kwame Brown too.

 

[nichj99]

Something to think about is the talk about a trade between LA and the Suns. Lakers are stacked at the PF spot so his minutes and growth may take a little longer but if he does get traded then i think he will come on a lot quicker. As a Lakers fan i really dont know what to expect from him atm. Reports are good but the reports were good about Kwame Brown too.

Randle won't be traded unless they're getting something big in return. Moving him out for Morris would be a downgrade long term.

 

[ozguy3825]

Randle won't be traded unless they're getting something big in return. Moving him out for Morris would be a downgrade long term.

couldnt agree more but we have alot of youth in the team

 

[goehring9]

I see his ceiling as a Zach Randolph type- the downside could be Kwame Brown for sure. You just never know. I will say this, his cards are at the moment all speculative prices- very high for an unproven player who is coming back from a season long injury. Being a Laker adds value but it remains to be seen if he backs it up (and I certainly hope so)

 

[mat2323]

The kid looks good, can see him averaging 10/10 this season, points should should go up tho after kobe retires, Don't see a star, but totally agree with the Zach Randolph comparison for the upside.

 

[nichj99]

The kid looks good, can see him averaging 10/10 this season, points should should go up tho after kobe retires, Don't see a star, but totally agree with the Zach Randolph comparison for the upside.

Yeah I don't see a guy that has played a career 14 minutes total averaging a double double. Given he still has a minutes restriction you might as well consider this is rookie year still.

Factor in that only 4 power forwards averaged at least 10 & 10 last season - Randolph, Gasol, Davis & Aldridge.

To average a double double, with the experience of a rookie, he'd be put on the same career trajectory as:

• Alonzo Mourning
• Ralph Sampson
• Bob Pettit
• Bill Russell
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Maurice Stokes
• Tim Duncan
• Blake Griffin
• Shaquille O'Neal
• David Robinson
• Jerry Lucas
• Larry Bird
• Wes Unseld
• Elvin Hayes
• Elgin Baylor
• Lew Alcindor
• Walt Bellamy
• Oscar Robertson
• Wilt Chamberlain

Pretty big claim to put Randle forward as a double double guy when considering all of the above.

 

[ozguy3825]

Also some talk of him maybe playing some SF as he has some pretty good handles and loves to attack the rim of the dribble! Randolph/Odom type player i'd say. Think he will be very solid for a long time but dont think he will be a super star but happy to be proven wrong.

 

[DJW]

Z-BO 2.0

 

[Fleer57]

Z-BO 2.0

Z-Bo Beta i reckon. Still a few bugs to iron out before he gets there.

 

[DJW]

Left handed under size n frumpy is a good start!

 

[muzzy66]

Honestky, I really don't see much potential there - but other's seem to, so I feel like I must be missing something?

I look at Randle and I see two main skills:
1) The ability to overpower people inside and score off raw brute force
2) Rebounding

I don't really see much else.

He's universally acknowledged as being a pretty poor defensive player, he isn't very versatile (isn't quick enough to defend SF or big enough to defend C) so his ability to defend the P&R is questionable, he doesn't have a consistent jumper, he's not a great passer and doesn't have great court feel, he's not an exceptional athlete (decent, but not explosive) and he's fairly undersized for the NBA PF spot (at 6'9" with a 7'0" wingspan).

He's kind of like a more athletic Jared sullinger...but without the jumper, passing ability and the basketball IQ.

I know a lot of guys think he's going to be a star, but I realy struggle to see that.

 

[muzzy66]

Also some talk of him maybe playing some SF as he has some pretty good handles and loves to attack the rim of the dribble! Randolph/Odom type player i'd say. Think he will be very solid for a long time but dont think he will be a super star but happy to be proven wrong.

I thik they key differences here are that Odom:

* Was very versatile - he had the mobility to defend Small Forwards (even guards, to a degree) a length to defend centers
* In his prime, was an impressive athlete
* Was a really good defender in his prime
* Had a solid outside jumper and could hit the NBA three with consistency
* Was an excellent passer for a big man - very nice PG skills

Odom was a real 'swiss army knife' player in that he had a really versatile skill/talent set that allowed im to play in a variety of positions and fill a variety of roles.

I feel like Randle is really restrited to PF, especially on the defensive end.

David Lee might actually be the closest comparison now that I think about it - though Lee has been a much better passer and jump-shooter. So, a poor man's David Lee?

 

[Billyhoyle]

http://www.slamonline.com/nba/juliu...ouble-double-this-season/#ivCxif5a3Qq8BPxR.97

Julius Randle ‘Absolutely’ Expects to Average a Double-Double This Season


September 23, 2015

By Marcel Mutoni


Coming off a rookie campaign thatlasted just thirteen minutes before he broke his right leg, Julius Randle still expects big things from himself this season.

Randle, 20, has been working out with potential future teammate Metta World Peace—and holding his own—and says he anticipates putting up double-double figures in 2015-16.

The big fella says that he suffered a bone bruise on the same leg he fractured during training camp by bumping into a bed post.

Per the LA Daily News:

“That’s when I really lost it,” said Los Angeles Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti, who has overseen the Lakers miss a combined 827 games because of injuries the past three seasons. […] “I felt that it was my fault. Everyone has told me it wasn’t my fault. But I have carried that for a while.”




Vitti ranked Randle’s injury as his second-most devastating experience entering his 32nd and final season with the Lakers, the incident paling only to when Magic Johnson announced in 1991 he had tested positive for HIV. […] “It wasn’t GV’s fault at all,” said Randle, who also absolved blame on the rest of the Lakers’ trainers. “He wished he could have done more. But there’s nothing else he could have done … I felt bad. I wondered if there’s something else I could have done to warn him. But it was nobody’s fault.”



Randle does not face any workload restrictions when training camp starts Sept. 29 in Hawaii. Yet, the Lakers plan to proceed with caution if any setbacks emerge. […] Lakers coach Byron Scott may also favor starting veteran Brandon Bass at power forward. Though Randle “absolutely” sees himself averaging a double-double, Randle maintained, “I’m just going to do what’s best for the team and whatever I can do to help the team win.”


Read more at http://www.slamonline.com/nba/juliu...ouble-double-this-season/#Bf4r7kOHppxgfMcD.99

 

[nichj99]

Kobe Bryant as today described Julius Randle as "Lamar Odom in Zach Randolph's body"

 

[KB.]

Looks like he had a nice game yesterday, will be interested to see what type of minutes he gets when the season starts. I've picked up a couple of nice autos for him that were priced well, his nicer stuff is too high for my liking at the moment, but I'm sure that's just speculative pricing.

 

[skip20]

Definitely the names you've heard before - Z-Bo, Sullinger and perhaps Eddy Curry? Low post offensive game, not quite as strong on the boards as the first two guys compared to and defensively, well, that's why they couldn't pair him with Jahlil Okafor if they drafted him...another low post offensive guy with debatable defensive skills....

 

[nichj99]

Definitely the names you've heard before - Z-Bo, Sullinger and perhaps Eddy Curry? Low post offensive game, not quite as strong on the boards as the first two guys compared to and defensively, well, that's why they couldn't pair him with Jahlil Okafor if they drafted him...another low post offensive guy with debatable defensive skills....

Agreed, however he did end up with 3 steals against the Jazz in their second match up. He may not be a great shot blocker however he might be alright at popping the ball free in the post or picking off the ball in the passing lanes.

 

[skip20]

Agreed, however he did end up with 3 steals against the Jazz in their second match up. He may not be a great shot blocker however he might be alright at popping the ball free in the post or picking off the ball in the passing lanes.

I think with defense it's all about attitude which is impossible to pick up with any real high degree of certainty on video or box scores. If he's serious about making strides (or Kobe rides him hard) you should see the improvements come on that end of the court. Plus, you know it's one of Coach Scott's calling cards so things are looking good on that front for improvement...all upside imo.