Los Angeles Lakers sophomore forward Julius Randle has been shining in the preseason, aching to bounce back and show the National Basketball Association (NBA) what it missed last season.
To recall, Randle played just 14 minutes last season for the Lakers, abruptly ending his rookie season after suffering a broken leg right on opening day against the Houston Rockets.
He made his return in the NBA Summer League and has been leaving quite an impression on a lot of people, including teammate Kobe Bryant who believes that the former Kentucky Wildcat can do everything.
After a sluggish start coming from injury, Randle has been able to settle down as he tries to live up to the billing of being one of the new breed to carry Los Angeles Lakers in the future. Along with fellow sophomore Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell, there are high expectations from the three stalwarts as the Los Angeles Lakers try to rebound from two forgettable seasons.
In the current preseason matches, Randle has been doing his thing. He may not be showing spectacular performances, but the thing is he is showing promise. Teams have been having a tough time guarding him and proof of that was when the Lakers met the Golden State Warriors recently in a preseason tiff.
Randle went up against last year's NBA Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors had a hard time checking the Lakers sophomore.
The 20-year-old forward, in fact, showed it in one instance, letting out a yell that Green couldn't guard him. Check out the video of that incident below.
Of course, this is just the preseason and there are a lot of things to consider. Not all teams are playing their usual, Green included.
The scenario will be different come the regular season and surely, Green will remember those remarks. But if Randle truly thinks lowly of Green, he can put a stamp on that when the Lakers meet the Warriors again.
