Lakers fans seem to be ready to move on from Julius Randle. Obviously not all of them are, but I don’t get the sense that he’s especially beloved. Is it because he has small hands? It must be, or something like that, because he is putting up some decent stats and looks pretty good in at least a third of the games he plays in.
I’m not qualified to speak on the topic of whether Randle is actually good or nah. I don’t watch full Lakers games enough to get the full report on him. His deficiencies aren’t the kind that are super-duper glaringly obvious, but his highlights paint a picture of a player who is limited offensively. Take tonight for example. Everything inside the paint. In the old days that wouldn’t be a problem for a power forward, but nowadays it is.
The Lakers need to have another players-only team meeting with the stated, explicit goal of figuring out if Randle helps or hurts the team. If he helps, keep him. If not, trade him to the Suns or something. I’ve been watching the NBA for a while now, and I’ve learned that players-only meetings solve just about everything.