Kentucky’s Julius Randle is the latest draft prospect to get a workout with the Los Angeles Lakers. Randle’s draft status took a major blow recently with rumors circulating that he might need surgery on his right foot, but the former Wildcat has refuted reports that surgery will be needed.
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On Tuesday, Randle put his skills on display at the Lakers practice facility and talked to the media shortly after. Randle was quoted as saying the following about the organization and superstar Kobe Bryant, according to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding:
Julius Randle: "I'm the biggest Laker fan. Probably more of a Kobe fan."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) June 17, 2014
Randle also said that he got chills when he arrived at the Lakers practice facility on Tuesday, according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Julius Randle recalling walking into Lakers facility for the first time, says he got chills.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) June 17, 2014
Along with claiming to be a big fan of the Lakers organization and its superstar, Randle also knows that Kobe can be a little hard on rookies. Randle said the following about Kobe’s treatment of rookies via Winters:
.@J30_RANDLE response to what it would mean to be a Laker & play w/ Kobe (1/3): "I heard Kobes a little tough on rookies but I don't care!"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) June 17, 2014
With talk of Randle potentially needing surgery, it remains uncertain where he might be taken in the upcoming 2014 NBA draft. Randle is considered to be a lottery pick and could get taken in the top five, but it’s possible he could fall as far as seven or even lower giving the Lakers an opportunity to draft him on June 26.
Randle addressed the concerns about his foot and whether he’d play in the summer league by saying the following after the workout via Winters:
Julius Randle of course insisted that foot was OK. When I probed about if he'll play in the NBA Summer League, he said yes.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) June 17, 2014
With a little more than a week to go before the Lakers are officially on the clock with their seventh pick in the draft, the team will continue to evaluate the promising young talent that may be available. Randle is one of many players the team has already worked out that may be there for the taking on June 26.
Other notable draft prospects that have worked out for the team are Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Zach LaVine (UCLA), Aaron Gordon (Arizona) and Noah Vonleh (Indiana). All of these players could be there for the taking with the seventh pick, but it is unclear which player might have the edge at this point in time.
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