Julius Randle (Photo : Twitter)
The LA Lakers were the big winners in the draft lottery as they escaped the prospect of surrendering the pick to Philadelphia.
Now, they have the possibility of landing one of the two perceived future All-Stars in the 2016 NBA Draft to go with the young core that they assembled. But the question is, will the Tinseltown choose to keep all of them?
The fate of Julius Randle has been discussed on team site Lake Show Life. There are already rumors that Randle has become "expendable" because the two candidates, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, are both forwards.
There is an argument that Randle is a power forward and would fit right next to Brandon Ingram, who would be a small forward in the NBA as he does not have the strength to match up with the stronger "fours" in the league.
However, in the article by Alex Vejar of LSL, trading Randle should be explored, regardless of which of the two players falls into the Lakers lap.
"The Lakers are sure to pick one of the two promising college prospects this upcoming draft and when they do, they'll have a big decision to make regarding Randle."
He noted some major flaws of Randle which would prompt the Lakers to consider trading him. Randle is gifted at driving to the hoop, but he has a weak shooting touch from mid-range. This would him easy to read for opponents.
Also, Randle is a southpaw with hardly any touch from his right hand. Vejar mentioned that "his current instinct is to go up with his left, even though in many situations it would be more practical to attempt the shot with his off hand."
The long story short, Randle seems very reminiscent of Ben Simmons, except that Simmons seems to be a better version of Randle despite his weaknesses. Randle can gel with Ingram and the former's strength can complement Ingram's shooting and wiry frame.
However, Randle and Simmons cannot start at forward together as both are bad shooters. This led to Jonathan Tjarks commenting on a Ringer NBA Show podcast that Randle would be gone if Simmons falls to the Lakers. He mentioned that "they don't make much sense together long term."
Simmons is a prime talent but the Lakers would probably be better off with Ingram if the young core is taken into consideration. The caveat is that the Simmons vs. Ingram debate is not for the Lakers to decide. What they can decide is what to do next after the draft pick is made.
