The LA Lakers drafting Julius Randle received a grade A+ rating from sportswriters as the burly 6-9 power forward promised that the teams who passed him over will regret their decision to not take him earlier.
According to Matt Moore of CBS Sports in a Twitter post, the LA Lakers drafting Julius Randle is a perfect fit because he's "the guy Kobe would want in terms of attitude. A bull inside with great character and touch at the rim."
NBA writer Zach Harper described Julius Randle as somebody who "has an incredible sense of when to use his strength and when to use a nice touch around the basket."
"He's a fantastic offensive rebounder, often drawing comparisons to Zach Randolph. However, his game is much more mobile and active than Randolph, even when the Grizzlies' power forward was coming out of Michigan State," he wrote.
Although Julius Randle averaged double-double in his freshman year at Kentucky, tallying 15 points on 50% shooting and and10.4 rebounds, his stock fell when it was reported that he required surgery on his foot.
With the LA Lakers drafting Julius Randle at no. 7, the burly power forward still thinks that he could have been ranked higher in the draft.
"I think I should've went higher for sure, but, you know, the teams that passed on me will regret it," Julius Randle told ESPN.
But he said that there's no problem with his foot although he would be open to what the LA Lakers front office will recommend, whether it be surgery or rehab.
The LA Lakers drafting Julius Randle means that the team sees no problem with his foot as general manager Mitch Kupchak told ESPN: "Obviously, it's a well-known fact that he had surgery about 18 months ago and he's been cleared."
"We will monitor it going forward. With any injury, there's always the possibility that it can be reinjured and certainly it's something that we considered in the selection process, but we just felt that his talent was such that even if he did have to miss a period of time -- with that kind of injury it could be six months, if necessary -- it would not impact his career," Mitch Kupchak added.
