All eyes will be on Kobe Bryant heading into the 2014-15 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers with fans of the storied franchise hoping the superstar can resurrect this team after an ugly 27-win season. Although Kobe will draw most of the attention, rookie Julius Randle will also be a player to watch.
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Back in March of 2013, Randle took part in a Nike tournament going head-to-head against Duke’s Jabari Parker. As the player deemed most NBA-ready coming out of the 2014 NBA draft, Parker is bound to turn some heads this year, but Randle got the best of the second overall pick last year with an impressive performance in this tournament.
According to Ball Is Life, Randle outplayed Parker rather convincingly when they faced off in this tournament. Parker finished with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists, but it was pale in comparison to Randle’s numbers.
The Lakers rookie scored 23 points, ripped down 14 boards while recording two blocks and a steal. Randle went 6-of-10 from the floor and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe leading his Texas Titans to victory over Parker’s squad, 63-59.
[divide]Kobe Bryant’s Big Drop In Sports Illustrated’s 2014 NBA Player Rankings