Julius Randle and his Second Chance at a Rookie Season

If there is one thing that Kentucky Wildcats fans and Los Angeles Lakers fans have in common going into the 2015-16 basketball calendar, it is the shared hope and interest in the success of Lakers power forward Julius Randle.

The story of Randle’s 2014-15 campaign, or lack there of, is well-documented. Randle was literally 14 minutes into his rookie campaign before he suffered a broken tibia in his rookie debut against the Houston Rockets and was out for the season.

More from Kentucky Wildcats

This was a truly heartbreaking injury for the No.7 overall pick of the 2014 draft not only for the Lakers fanbase who saw Randle as a cornerstone for the post Kobe Bryant era, not only for the die hard Kentucky Wildcats fanbase who boast about the success of the players who come out of Lexington into the NBA, but for Julius Randle himself who saw his NBA dream put on hold, albeit temporarily.

Julius Randle was a stud in Lexington for his one-and-done freshman season before hitting the 2014 NBA Draft pool, averaging 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds on 50.1% shooting from the floor.

Randle was supposed to be a ray of sunshine for a beleaguered Los Angles Lakers franchise that has struggled since the death of Dr. Jerry Buss with his son Jim Buss taking the reigns of the franchise.

Though the Lakers were not seen as a potential playoff team for the 2014-15 NBA season, just being able to see that things were going to be on the upswing for the franchise because of the young players that were coming in would have been sufficient.

Apr 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Julius Randle (30) reacts on the sideline against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half during the championship game of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

That is what makes the 2015-16 season so intriguing for the Los Angeles Lakers fan base. Fans will be able to have that excitement rekindled because they will be able to watch a healthy and motivated Julius Randle return to the court.

With NBA training camps opening up there has been lots of speculation on how the Lakers will go about utilizing Julius Randle in his return to the basketball court.

The question is simply will he or won’t he be a starter in the 2015-16 season. Keep in mind the Lakers picked up veteran power forward Brandon Bass during the offseason and that Randle has not run around enough to convince head coach Byron Scott that he is ready to become the starter when things get underway in October.

With all of that in mind, it prompted Scott to say this about the Julius Randle situation in a quote from lakersnation.com.

"Kind of the same way I brought Jordan along. I won’t throw these guys out in the fire unless I think they’re ready. No matter if they were the second pick or the 46th pick? You should take that to mean that Julius has developed nicely, and I’m waiting to see when he can go a full practice every day for the next two weeks. That means training camp throughout the preseason games. And then we’ll go from there."

Regardless of whether or not Randle is in the starting lineup, the main thing that fans should care about is if Julius Randle is feeling confident about his physical well-being after coming off such a serious injury.

Randle has put in a lot of work in order to get back on the basketball court and has taken all the challenges that come along with rehabbing head on.

He feels that the studying that he has put in while being sidelined is going to benefit him for this upcoming season and that the injury actually is going to make him a better person and player according to what was conveyed in a post from the dailybreeze.com.

"“It made me the person I am today. It gave me perspective on patience and the process in general. I got knocked down and was expecting big things out of myself throughout that season. It didn’t happen that way. So where I do go from here? Where do I prepare myself where I was better before?”"

Randle through his rehabbing and change in diet has trimmed down to 245 pounds from 260 in preparation for the upcoming season. He also spoke about that in the piece.

"“It’s tough in the beginning. But when you figure out what you want to do and how you can become the best version of yourself after you make that change and get into the routine, it becomes part of your life."

Live Feed

Warner Bros. unveils plan to stream MLB Playoffs, NBA, more on Max /

FanSided

College football NIL news: General Booty gets appropriate NIL dealFanSided

UMass vs. New Mexico State Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 0Betsided

College football expansion rumors: Who will join Big 12 next? Another Pac-12 target is clearFanSided

Notre Dame Season Preview: Betting Public Flocking to Irish, Should You?Betsided

College Basketball: Ranking the Nine "Blue Blood" programsGo Joe Bruin

When it comes down to it, Julius Randle is on a mission to get back the year he lost due to injury and prove that the injury he sustained is a minor setback.

The expectations for the Los Angles Lakers should be tempered because when you look at the entirety of their roster and the gauntlet they are going to face in the Western Conference, the playoffs are going to be a longshot.

But things could be looking up with the arrival of 2015 lottery pick D’Angelo Russell, and most importantly, the return of a healthy Julius Randle.

Whether you are a Lakers fan, Wildcats fan, or just a fan of basketball, everyone should be pulling for Julius Randle this year. Seeing success from him after his injury will be seen as a very inspirational story.

Next: Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis has the Game and the Pedigree

More from Busting Brackets

Home/Kentucky Wildcats

Julius Randle and his Second Chance at a Rookie Season in the NBA

By James Fitzgerald | Sep 29, 2015

More from Busting Brackets