Lakers News: Julius Randle Wants To ‘Honor’ The Confidence Luke Walton Has And ‘Not Let Him Down’
Julius Randle, Luke Walton, Lakers
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle has had an up-and-down season in the team’s rotation. Head coach Luke Walton chose to bring him off of the bench to start the year before ultimately deciding to move Randle into the starting lineup.

Randle took all of that bouncing around in stride and has become one of the Lakers’ best players this season, averaging a career-high 16 points per game to go with 7.9 rebounds while shooting 56.6 percent from the field, which is also a career high for the fourth-year forward.

Randle has also made massive progress as a defender, and no one sequence has better displayed all of his growth on both ends of the floor than a sequence in Los Angeles’ loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Randle blocked Emeka Okafor before using a crossover in transition to get all the way to the rim for a dunk.

Walton praised his athletic forward for that sequence, which led Randle to express his respect for Walton, and what those plays shown above demonstrated about his development. Via Bill Oram of the Southern California Register:

“I always take everything Coach says with honor and try not to let him down,” he said. “With me, I guess it shows both parts of my game that I try to take pride in. Defensive end and being able to push it and make a play for myself or others down the court.”

Randle could have sulked about his bench role, especially in a contract year and when he was clearly one of the team’s best players, but he rarely did. Instead, he used the slight as motivation to improve every area of his game and force Walton to put him into the starting lineup.

Whether or not Randle remains with the Lakers in restricted free agency this summer is up in the air, but if he does, the relationship he and Walton have forged should pay dividends for both men and the organization moving forward.

You May Also Like

The Lakers’ Lack Of Shooting Is Causing Them Huge Problems Offensively, And Things Could Get Worse

The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled out of the gate, just not for the reason anyone expected, and the team’s lack of shooters might not be an easy problem to fix.

Shootaround Report: Lakers Hit The Road To Take On The Jazz

[new_royalslider id=”169″] As last night’s final home game came to a close,…

Lakers News: Lonzo Ball Ready, Excited For Saturday’s Preseason Opener

Just as suddenly as training camp began for the Los Angeles Lakers, their preseason opener is right around the corner as well…

A Fully Utilized Pau Gasol Is Peaking At The Right Time

It may not seem like it, but it’s championship time. Moreover, one…