If there is one player in the 2014 NBA Draft that I can’t see becoming a bust, it’s Kentucky forward Julius Randle. The 18-year-old product out of Dallas is a force around the basket as he scores and rebounds at as high of a rate as any other player in the country. Standing at 6’9” and weighing anywhere from 240-250 pounds, Randle is the definition of a “bully” in the post.
This year Randle has shown it’s more or less impossible to keep him from getting on the score-sheet at a high rate; you just have to try to find a way to slow him down. Right now, he’s really showing how physically superior to almost every player in the country he is; Randle’s simply so much bigger and stronger than the opposition. It’s extremely hard to force him to miss a shot without fouling. A bit past the midway point of the regular season, Randle has already attempted 138 free throws which leads the SEC, and he’s made 98 of them (71%) which also leads the conference.
Even though he’s scoring at a very high rate (16.9 PPG, 23.3 per-40 minutes), Randle could improve his overall offensive arsenal. He won’t be able to overpower every defender in the NBA like he can in college. Fortunately, Randle has shown the ability that he can post-up and play with a decent back-to-the-basket game.
However, I believe we should note that the PF position is changing in the NBA. Last year, two of the top four selections (Anthony Bennett and Cody Zeller) were spent on “stretch” fours. Teams nowadays are looking for PF’s that can stretch out and knock down jump shots. We still don’t really know if Randle can shoot from the perimeter or not because he’s never been asked to, but he does seem like more of an “old-school” PF to me. This could be a red flag for some teams if they are hoping their PF of the future can hit shots from the outside.
Aside from scoring the ball, Randle’s other big strength is that he is a vacuum cleaner on the glass. Not only has Randle established himself as one of the top rebounders in the SEC, he’s also emerged as one of the premier rebounders in the country. Currently averaging 11 RPG (15.2 per-40 minutes), he leads the SEC and ranks seventh in the nation. Additionally, Randle boasts an offensive rebounding percentage of 16.1 and a defensive rebounding percentage of 23.9, both of which rank second in the SEC.
To be so big, Randle is a very agile and explosive athlete which makes him even more overpowering. Another asset Randle features that has scouts foaming at the mouth is his body control. Randle is able to spin and slither through defenders and also knows how to finish in contact. Another reason he’s so prolific at getting to the free-throw line is because he knows how to absorb contact and bounce off opponents. Although it should be noted that Randle is going to have to watch his body, he’s done a great job with it up to this point; he simply has the type of body that can get out of shape quickly.
Defensively, Randle is just so big that it’s hard for opposing post players to get around him. While he could use some work with his overall defensive fundamentals, I certainly don’t see defense being a big liability for his future. With the proper coaching, he’ll be just fine on defense. With this being said, there really aren’t too many glaring weaknesses to be found in Randle’s game. For the most part, he’s a pretty good ball-handler, but if he tries to continually bully defenders to the hoop in the NBA, turnovers could become somewhat of an issue. Also as mentioned earlier, it could hurt his stock if he can’t hit shots from the perimeter which is still pretty much an unknown at this point.
It’s easy to tell that I’m a big fan of Randle as a prospect. This is type of player that can anchor an offense for years to come and is a force to be reckoned with on the glass. I would be pretty shocked if he fell out of the top 5 of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Player Comparison: Al Jefferson with improved defense
Next Week’s Report: Joel Embiid
By Brian Emory
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