Rookie forward Julius Randle is eager to show the Lakers they made a smart choice by taking him seventh in the NBA Draft in June. (Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer)
Only 48 hours await before Julius Randle will make his Summer League debut, ending a 10-month process that felt like an eternity as he rehabbed a right leg injury that wiped out his rookie season.
But even before seeing how that plays out, the Lakers are exercising caution regarding Randle’s return. They will sit Randle out of the Lakers’ second summer league game on Saturday against Philadelphia in Las Vegas.
The Lakers stressed Randle has not experienced any setbacks on his surgically repaired right leg and foot since participating in organized full-court practices this week. Instead, the Lakers want to gradually phase him back onto the court. They found sitting him out on Saturday as most appropriate since the Lakers have a back-to-back with a game against Minnesota on Friday. Randle then plans to play against New York on Monday.
The Lakers shared their plan with Randle after he spoke with reporters on Wednesday at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo. But Randle offered no indication of any setbacks and often flashed a smile.
“Amazing,” Randle said in describing his state of physical and mental being. “It’s a blessing to be back on the court. I’m doing what I love so I can’t complain. A lot of fun getting up and down. I’m just playing the game, so I can’t complain.”
Well, perhaps Randle can complain about one thing.
Randle seemed somewhat sheepish over the several nicknames his teammates have given him to describe his dominant play in practice. Lakers rookie guard D’Angelo Russell called Randle “a beast.” Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson described Randle as “a monster.” Lakers rookie center Robert Upshaw likened Randle to an “Ox.”
“Can’t I get a pretty name?” Randle asked, jokingly.
Lakers forward Tarik Black compared Randle to a “lotus flower.” In Buddhism, that symbolizes “the rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment.” Randle called Black “goofy” when he heard the nickname, before saying, “I’ll roll with one.”
But what nickname would Randle give himself?
“I don’t give out my nicknames. I’ll let ya’ll do it for me,” Randle said. “I just go with the flow and just hoop.”
That has not happened in a while.
Randle, whom the Lakers selected seventh overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, played only 14 minutes in the Lakers’ season opener last October before fracturing a tibia in his right leg. He immediately had surgery. Randle then had surgery on his right foot to repair a screw that was incorrectly placed when it was broken in his senior year of high school.
Randle made steady progress since then. But the Lakers did not envision Randle playing in Summer League until after the NBA Draft. Before, the Lakers targeted his return at training camp. Instead, Randle healed enough to play in Summer League, though the Lakers will still stay cautious.
“Just me being back on the court is an A-plus for me,” Randle said. “I’ve been missing this the whole year.”
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