Guys like Noah Vonleh, Elfrid Payton, Dario Saric and Zach LaVine were all still on the board at No. 7, and the Lakers could have gone many different directions. The right move was Randle, however, and thankfully for the franchise, that's the pick that was made.
The Lakers announced the selection via their official Twitter account:
Randle was upset he dropped to No. 7 in the draft, as CBS Sports' Jeff Borzello noted on Twitter:
That said, the Lakers also noted that he is excited to play for such a storied NBA franchise:
There isn't enough that can be said about this pick. Matt Moore of CBS Sports gives it an A-plus:
The Lakers are in the first step of rebuilding. Kobe Bryant is still under contract, but Pau Gasol might not be back next season, and Steve Nash has just one year left on his deal. Randle is a great piece to build around, as he's a bull under the basket who can provide a safety net for the team's perimeter players.
At 6'9", 250 pounds, he is a remarkably strong player who doesn't always look to outmuscle defenders. He has a very nice touch around the rim, which allows him to use a variety of hook shots and short jumpers to score a few feet away from the basket.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times compares his game to Zach Randolph's:
Randolph, of course, has had a very successful NBA career. He has averaged a double-double eight different times in his career, including a season of 20.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in 2010-11.
Randle might not have a Randolph-like impact in his rookie campaign, but that's what the Black Mamba is there for. Bryant will teach the rookie everything he needs to ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
