Julius Randle is in his seventh year as a pro, but is it surprising it took him this long to develop into an All-Star?
Last week marked the first All-Star appearance of Julius Randle’s career at the ripe old age of 26. But is it any surprise it took Randle this long to get there, considering the significant development hurdles that stood in his way throughout the years?
For the first time, Julius Randle was amongst the stars. He tossed an alley-oop pass over the head of Paul George to a skying Donovan Mitchell. He flew to the rim and dunked over a disinterested Stephen Curry. But mostly, Julius Randle weightlessly orbited the All-Star Game solar system, drifting up and down the court through the rotating cast of stars and superstars, seemingly pondering his unfathomably turbulent journey to this glamorous destination; the irony of his admittance into this exclusive galaxy. And who could blame him?
Some have pointed to Randle’s unusually advanced experience for a first-time All-Star — this being his seventh year in the league — as evidence that he cannot sustain his current form; that this year’s “leap” will soon come crashing down to Earth. What they fail to consider, though, is that Randle is no ordinary seventh-year veteran. On the contrary, if Julius truly contemplated his long and winding road to his first All-Star Game, he would have reflected upon the most tumultuous initial seven years any player could possibly imagine. The result: in NBA developmental years, Randle isn’t more than a fourth-year pro, and fourth-year pros blossom into All-Stars all the time.
The NBA has never witnessed a worse takeoff. After successfully leading Kentucky to a National Championship berth his freshman and only year in Lexington, the much-hyped Randle was selected by Kobe Bryant’s (Randle’s childhood hero) team, the Los Angeles Lakers, with the seventh overall pick of the 2014 draft. The Lakers were coming off of the worst season of Bryant’s long tenure in LA, due primarily to Bryant’s injury-plagued season in which he played in just six games. With Kobe’s return, the Lakers were expected to revert immediately to their winning ways, placing Randle in the difficult position of trying to learn the NBA game and develop individually in a supremely pressurized environment.
Being “Kobe’s rookie” came with its own unique set of challenges, reflected in some of Bryant’s, er…”motivational” comments about Randle during the preseason: “You f*** this [situation with the Lakers] up...You’re a really big idiot.” Lakers coach Byron Scott, who we know with the benefit of hindsight was very bad at his job, employed similarly odd motivational tactics on his rookie forward, divulging to the press that the 19-year-old “looked lost” in his second preseason game. Already, it was clear that Randle had not been drafted into a typical nurturing environment.
Nonetheless, Randle showed flashes of his potential brilliance during that preseason, and the Lakers entered the regular season with high expectations for their rookie forward. Unfortunately, his rookie campaign never got off the ground, as Randle fractured his tibia 15 minutes into his career, abruptly ending his inaugural season. As painstakingly detailed by Randle himself in Sports Illustrated’s “Breakaway” podcast with Brian Mahoney, Randle did his very best to remain engaged and soak up as much NBA film and knowledge as he could from his couch. He also consulted often with Paul George, who had suffered a similar injury a couple of years prior. But real development in the NBA requires live reps and experience, for which Randle would have to wait.
Randle NBA Seasons: 1
Randle Developmental Seasons: 0
Following successful surgery and rehab, Randle should have entered year two of his career looking to reclaim his lost rookie season and make up for the lost developmental time. Instead, he stepped into the absolute circus that was the Kobe Bryant farewell tour. For those who don’t recall, the Lakers that year fielded one of the strangest rosters in recent memory, featuring the retiring Bryant, Lou Williams, Randle, second overall pick D’Angelo Russell, and other young players in need of development like Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson.
Instead of yielding some possessions to his younger teammates, Kobe opted to do as Kobe always did — shoot the rock with reckless abandon. Amidst the adoration and celebration of the Black Mamba’s career before and during each and every Laker game, Bryant produced an utterly woeful and inefficient season, shooting 36% overall on 17(!) field goal attempts a game, 28% from three on seven(!) attempts per game, and just three assists a game, the worst passing season since Kobe’s second year in the league. Randle bluntly summarized his experience that season during his recent appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast, The Old Man & the Three: “It was tough because as a young player you want to develop, you want to grow, you want to learn, and the season wasn’t really about that. The season was about Kobe. And then on top of that, it wasn’t about winning either.” That said, Randle played in 81 games that season, and that in and of itself was a major step in the right direction.
Randle NBA Seasons: 2
Randle Developmental Seasons: 0.5
With Kobe’s departure, the Lakers finally transitioned into a proper rebuild prior to the 2015-16 season. They hired young Luke Walton as the new head coach, drafted Brandon Ingram with the second overall pick, and committed to developing the young nucleus of Randle, Russell, Ingram, Clarkson, and Nance Jr. Randle thrived in the more growth-oriented atmosphere, improving particularly as a finisher and passer — he increased his 2-point field goal percentage from 44% to 50%, and he over doubled his assist numbers from 1.6 to 3.8 a game. The Lakers were bad, predictably (and particularly on defense), but for the first time in Randle’s career, they were bad in a healthy way.
Randle NBA Seasons: 3
Randle Developmental Seasons: 1.5
The positive atmosphere in LaLa Land didn’t last long. The Lakers are historically conditioned to look to the stars, and their roster going into the 2016-2017 season was noticeably bereft of one. They traded the promising D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn to clear the requisite cap space to sign such a star, and to clear the way for an even glitzier rookie point guard selected with the second pick, Lonzo Ball. Then, trade rumors commenced with vigor during the offseason — the Lakers wanted Los Angeles-born Paul George, Randle’s past confidant, and Randle was one of the young players that comprised the expendable bait. The noise crescendoed with Magic Johnson’s infamous wink tampering on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and though Randle wasn’t actually traded that season, the damage was certainly done.
Randle later recounted how the “toxic” rumors forced him to delete social media from his phone, and called that season the “hardest by far in [his] life,” (which, as we’ve seen, is really saying something). Randle succinctly described his perception of the Lakers’ attitude toward their young core on The Old Man & the Three: “They got us all up outta there.”
Despite the toxicity surrounding the team, health and steady playing time enabled Randle’s continued improvement. He increased his 2-point field goal percentage to 57%, and got to the free throw line at a career-high rate. Randle was becoming the player the Lakers had envisioned when they drafted him... just in time for him to leave in free agency.
Randle NBA Seasons: 4
Randle Developmental Seasons: 2.0
With the Lakers moving on to starrier pastures, and Randle wanting no part of playing with LeBron James, it was time for a new chapter in a new city. Randle weighed his options, but ultimately chose to sign with New Orleans, and it was fellow Kentucky alum and star forward Anthony Davis who “sealed the deal by wooing Randle…” Unfortunately for Randle, the unrelenting rumor mill of Los Angeles just followed him to New Orleans. Shortly after being recruited by Davis to play alongside him, Davis requested a trade, and it was widely reported that his preferred destination was — you guessed it — the Los Angeles Lakers. The rest of that season quickly devolved into a pernicious saga. Davis’ strange fourth quarter minutes restriction and potential trade packages dominated the headlines, while Randle and his teammates were incessantly forced to answer questions about the teammate who didn’t want to be there. It all climaxed on the last game of the season, when Davis, not playing, dressed in the now-iconic “That’s All Folks” t-shirt, symbolically representing the bitterness that had developed between him and the organization.
Despite another year in a poisonous environment, Randle again persevered. He excelled in the Pelicans’ run-and-gun offense which suited his game perfectly, and put together a career year in every statistical category, including averaging over 20 points per game for the very first time in his career. With Davis’ inevitable departure assured, Randle again set out to find a new home.
Randle NBA Seasons: 5
Randle Developmental Seasons: 2.5
When a player is searching for stability, he should avoid the New York Knicks at all costs (until now). Alas, Julius Randle, apparently unaware of this dictum, chose New York as his next destination. In New Orleans, Randle was able to overcome the unhealthy culture because he was playing in a befitting system with shooters and space to operate. In New York, he was surrounded by non-shooting point guards Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith Jr., a rookie who struggled mightily with his shot in his first season, RJ Barrett, and a lane-clogging center in Mitchell Robinson. It was basketball hell, and Julius burned. His numbers dropped precipitously across the board, David Fizdale was fired mid-season, and Randle was booed by the Garden crowd after every predictable, turnover-inducing spin-move. For Randle, the prematurely cancelled season must have brought some measure of relief.
Randle NBA Seasons: 6
Randle Developmental Seasons: 3.0
Indeed, on that starry night in Atlanta, as Julius Randle reflected upon all of that chaos that had defined his career until this season, he must have felt a sense of overwhelming satisfaction. There, on that same court, was Paul George, the superstar he confided in as a sidelined 19 year old rookie, and the player for whom he was shopped by his original team. There, on that same All-Star roster, was Anthony Davis, his Kentucky friend who recruited him from Los Angeles, only to turn around, abandon him, and punch his own ticket to Los Angeles. Julius Randle’s career had been manipulated by superstars from the start — first by Kobe Bryant, then Paul George, then LeBron James, then Anthony Davis. Seven NBA seasons in — but no more than four of actual development — he has blossomed into the star. Armed with the stability of a collaborative front office and coaching staff that believes in him and will likely soon invest in him, he can finally forge his own path. Things are looking up.
