Forward Julius Randle encouraged by the Lakers’ vision moving forward
Seemingly unlike in past seasons, there’s actually a plan for the Lakers’ future, forward Julius Randle said Thursday at the team’s training facility in El Segundo.
It includes him preparing for training camp like he’s never prepared before.
“The biggest focus for me this summer is coming back in incredible shape,” Randle said. “Just nonstop, just a beast coming back.”
Randle played in 74 games and averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes.
He sounded optimistic after meeting with Lakers President Magic Johnson, General Manager Rob Pelinka and Coach Luke Walton a day after the conclusion of a 26-56 season.
“There’s a clear vision of where we want to go and what we want to do,” Randle said. “That’s something that maybe we didn’t have before, or not, I don’t know.
“I came out of the meeting like, you know, had a vision of where we were taking it and what we want coming into next season so I think that’s really encouraging.”
Randle said the learning curve of his third season in the NBA was more comparable to that of a second season, since he played just 14 minutes as a rookie before he was sidelined because of a season-ending leg injury.
“I limited, compared to my year before, my ups and downs, but I still have a ways to go,” Randle said. “I learned the game more, feel like I got better, more comfortable.”
Randle must continue to improve his consistency with energy and effort, he said.
“A lot of times I noticed practice carried over to the games,” Randle said. “How hard you practiced, how hard you played usually carried over. If my intensity is up and I’m playing hard, I usually have a good game.”
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