Already down one power forward in Larry Nance Jr. after injuring his knee in Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers will also be without their starter at the position for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat, though it is for a much different reason.
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According to Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet, Randle will miss has gone back to Los Angeles to be with his fiancee as she gives birth to their first child:
Julius Randle will miss tonight's game at Miami to be with his fiancée, Kendra, as she gives birth in Los Angeles to their first child.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 22, 2016
Bresnahan added that Randle is also likely to miss tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic:
There's only a small chance Randle makes it back to Florida to play in Friday's game at Orlando. Could happen, though.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 22, 2016
While the Lakers would obviously prefer to have Randle with them, it is completely understandable for him to want to be with his fiancee at a time like this, especially for his first child. That is a moment that nobody would want to miss and Randle should be with his fiancee at this time.
For the Lakers this now changes things as head coach Luke Walton will have to figure out who will start in his place. With Nance Jr. also out Walton could choose to match the Heat’s size by starting Thomas Robinson at power forward to matchup with Josh McRoberts.
Walton also has the option of going small by moving Luol Deng up to power forward and inserting rookie Brandon Ingram into the starting lineup, something Walton has already done multiple times this season. Whatever Walton decides, there will be more pressure on a number of Lakers.
Most importantly, however, congratulations to Randle.
