Julius Randle is believed to be one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the NBA Draft. The brusing power forward led the NCAA in double-doubles last season and already has the body of an NBA power forward.
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Going to a Los Angeles Lakers team where he could possibly start immediately puts him in a position to succeed immediately. So it comes as no surprise that Randle is one of the favorites, having 9-1 odds at Bovada Sportsbook, to win the Rookie of the Year award according to ESPN’s Arash Markazi:
Odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year next year via @BovadaLV Jabari Parker – 5/1 Andrew Wiggins – 11/2 Julius Randle – 9/1 Nerlens Noel – 9/1
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 27, 2014
Randle’s biggest competition is almost definitely Jabari Parker, who was selected second by the Milwaukee Bucks. Parker is an extremely talented scorer who, like Randle, will start right away. Unlike Randle, however, Parker will likely be his team’s number one option.
Andrew Wiggins, drafted first by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Nerlens Noel, last year’s first round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers who missed the entire season due to injury, will both likely have an impact, but may not put up the numbers that Parker and Randle are likely to do.
Randle looked angry after he fell to the seventh pick. While he is happy that he gets to play with his childhood idol Kobe Bryant, he vowed to make the teams who passed him up, regret it. The first step to that is winning Rookie of the Year, and according to these odds, he has a great chance of doing so.
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Lakers Forward Julius Randle First Phone Conference