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Draft Profile: Julius Randle

Opinions expressed on this page are solely those of the individual author and don't represent the opinions of the Celtics front office.

NBA Draft Combine Measurements

Pros/Cons

Why You Might Know Him

Julius Randle was the No. 3 recruit coming out of high school in 2013 and he showed why this past season at Kentucky. Randle helped to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA title game by averaging 14.8 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game during the tournament. He tallied 24 double-doubles during his freshman season and was a first team All-SEC selection.

Scouting Report

Randle is one of the most NBA-ready players in this year’s Draft. His size, strength and overall abilities should allow him to come into the league and make an impact immediately for whichever team lands him. His upside, however, may not be as high as many of the other players in this Draft class. Randle is left-handed and finishes almost exclusively with that hand. He has an array of moves, most notably the spin move, that allow him to consistently get his shot off with his left hand. He absorbs contact well on the ground but not so much while in the air. Despite being a good overall athlete, he tends to play below the rim. Randle was an efficient scorer in college but will need to clean a few things up to continue that trend at the NBA level. Most importantly, he needs to learn how to read and react. Randle’s pure skill allowed him to get away with deciding to shoot before he even made his move at the collegiate level. That won’t work in the NBA. If he can learn to read and react, that will cut out many of his turnovers and forced shots. Randle also needs to work on finishing with his right hand as well as developing his jumper. He’s a poor jump shooter at the moment but does have decent mechanics on his shot. I expect him to be able to become a solid shooter from 15 feet out if he puts in the work with his future coaching staff. Considering his character and love for the game, I’m confident he’ll give the necessary effort. Another glaring weakness – particularly for a big man – is Randle’s poor screening. The screens he set during his time at Kentucky were very underwhelming. It looked like he was just going through the motions. He’s entering a pick-and-roll league, so he’ll need to learn to set solid screens and hold them in order to free up his guards. Randle is a big, strong kid, so I don’t expect this to be an issue. He just needs to break a bad habit. Defensively, Randle has great potential. With his size and lateral agility, he will provide teams with the ability to switch on pick-and-rolls. He’s no Brandon Bass in this area, but he should be able to hold his own against a perimeter player if he’s forced to switch. I love the fact that he does his work early on defense. He does a great job getting into the body of opposing big men and bumping them off of their spots before they catch an entry pass. He’s just a physical player who battles for position at both ends of the court. Randle is also a very good rebounder, which is a characteristic that typically translates from college to the pros. His physical nature pushes him to box out on a consistent basis. He also rises with his 7-foot wingspan to grab boards at their highest point. He was a double-double machine at Kentucky and I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns into one in the NBA as well. Though he’s undersized at just 6-foot-9 in shoes, he has the basketball instincts and skills to be able to put up numbers. Just don’t expect him to be a go-to scorer in the short term.

Biography

Randle was born on Nov. 29, 1994 in Dallas, Texas. He spent his entire youth in the state and eventually attended Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, which is about a half hour northeast of Dallas. Randle was an absolute star a Prestonwood, helping lead the team to three state titles during his four seasons. He averaged an incredible 32.5 PPG and 22.5 RPG as a senior. He was selected as a McDonald’s All-American and was ranked third on the ESPN 100 list following his senior season. Many schools made recruiting pitches to Randle, but the final four on his list were Kentucky, Kansas, Florida and Texas. He made official visits to the first three on that list. Randle eventually chose Kentucky, joining a stellar freshman class, and signed on with the Wildcats on March 20, 2013. He averaged 15.0 PPG and 10.4 RPG as a freshman and played a major role in Kentucky’s run to the national championship game. He was selected to the Final Four NCAA All-Tournament team and was also chosen as the SEC Rookie of the Year, a third team All-American and a first team All-SEC performer. Randle declared for the NBA Draft on April 22.