Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Julius Randle’s draft stock has been a constant discussion over the past six months. Whether it be his low steal and block rates while at Kentucky, or the recent question marks surrounding his right foot, no one has been able to get a solid grasp on where he might land come draft night.
As of now, Draft Express has Randle ranked 4th on their Top 100 rankings, while predicting him to go 7th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN’s Chad Ford has him slotted 8th on his big board. It was only back in November that some thought he could possibly be a top-3 pick.
Randle will certainly need the right situation to succeed at the next level — most prospects do. His block rate (2.6 percent) and steal rate (1 percent) are legitimate concerns; history tells us college players entering the draft with poor marks in those two areas rarely translate to the pro game. Also, as the NBA becomes even more of a shooting league where at times all five players are on the floor can shoot 3s, Randle will need to continue to develop a mid-range jumper. Until that happens, he’ll need personnel around him to protect his flaws as he progresses as a young player.
Using the projections of where Randle might land next week, here’s three fits that make the most sense for his skill set.
1. Orlando Magic (picks: 4th and 12th overall)
Many expect Orlando to seek help for their back-court with the 4th-overall pick, as the “Victor Oladipo the point guard” experiment didn’t necessarily pan out. Even with the hole they have on their roster at the point guard position, the Magic are a team that needs talent over everything else — what position that is shouldn’t matter considering the current state of the team.
The Magic seemingly have a building block in center Nikola Vucevic — a finesse big that can step out and knock down the mid-range jumper and isn’t completely useless in protecting the rim. He would complement Randle well, allowing Randle to live on the block much like he did at Kentucky and maintain enough spacing to keep Orlando’s offense from becoming cramped. Not to mention, the duo would be a force on the glass as Vucevic is one of the better rebounders in the NBA.
By selecting Randle, Orlando could then lock in their second unit front-court by pairing tweener Tobias Harris with Kyle O’Quinn. However, will the Magic be willing to use their 4th-overall pick on Randle? The likelihood of him falling to 12 seems slim. Nevertheless, Orlando seems like a great fit for him.
2. Los Angeles Lakers (pick: 7th overall)
The Lakers’ roster is simply devoid of talent as of right now. They have three players under contract heading into this off-season — Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre — with a possible fourth in Nick Young (he has a player option on his deal). In other words, they need help everywhere.
Randle to the Lakers seems like a popular pick in the online mock drafts. And that makes sense, seeing how their roster is practically a blank slate. Randle could come in and be the starting power forward right away should the rest of their off-season play out that way, or they could choose to make free agent signings that complement not only Kobe, but also Randle’s game and his future.
The Lakers’ front office seems more concerned with making Kobe happy judging by their current search for a head coach. But seeing how they don’t currently have their first-round pick next year, this one could prove to be massive in terms of the franchise’s future.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (picks: 3rd and 10th overall)
It’s highly unlikely that the 76ers will use their 3rd-overall pick on Randle, as they’ll probably scoop up whoever is left over from the Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins trio. But their 10th-overall pick is where it could get interesting if Randle were to fall that far — which isn’t out of the question if teams believe his right foot could cause him problems in the future.
Philadelphia seemingly has two players locked into their roster right now — last year’s draft picks Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel. The former Wildcat Noel is set and ready to go next season after the injury that not only cost him his rookie season, but also ended his Kentucky career early. While a Randle-Noel front-court could become crowded, as neither can space the floor at all right now, Noel’s rim protection could mask Randle’s biggest flaw on the defensive end.
Randle falling to Philadelphia at 10 would give them one heck of a value pick and a possible Wiggins-Randle-Noel front-court to build around.