[Make’Em Say UGHParticipant]

Randle was my favorite 2014 draft prospect. Considering his rookie year lasted all of 14 minutes on 1-3 shooting, I’m judging him as a rookie this year…theoretically. It sucks he can’t be reinstated as one. Reminiscent of Blake’s first year going out in the preseason.

With that being said, he is performing VERY WELL so far. Kobe calling him "Lamar Odom in Zach Randolph’s body" and Hibbert saying "He’s the face of the NBA" (that one may be packing on alot of hyperbole haha)

I haven’t seen much about him on the forum lately, so I wanted to see what your thoughts and expectations are for Randle?

[CDPHParticipant]

I’ve always liked Randle and thought he got something of an unfair reputation as a non-shooter coming out of college.  He simply wasn’t allowed to step out and shoot the ball in an offense that asked him to play a very specific role.  

 I’m not sure about this brining the ball up stuff at the NBA level, but he’s a talented guy for sure.  

[CDPHParticipant]

I’ve always liked Randle and thought he got something of an unfair reputation as a non-shooter coming out of college.  He simply wasn’t allowed to step out and shoot the ball in an offense that asked him to play a very specific role.  

 I’m not sure about this brining the ball up stuff at the NBA level, but he’s a talented guy for sure.  

[T Rex]

 He’s definitely in great shape, not too heavy. He’s still a below the rim player for the most part, but he’s definitely got an explosive first step.

Having Kobe call you a great passer is like having your alma mater call you very generous. They just want your money.

 

 

 

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 Most likely getting negged by the Laker (Really Kobe fans) but that is a great analogy.  I chuckled.

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 Most likely getting negged by the Laker (Really Kobe fans) but that is a great analogy.  I chuckled.

[T Rex]

 He’s definitely in great shape, not too heavy. He’s still a below the rim player for the most part, but he’s definitely got an explosive first step.

Having Kobe call you a great passer is like having your alma mater call you very generous. They just want your money.

 

 

 

[tuck243Participant]

Randle can’t be?  Didn’t know that…   Is the rule playing in one season game?

Also,  I liked Randle out of HS and College.   I don’t know how I feel about him playing off ball with Russell and Kobe needing the ball a lot…  But he’s still a rookie so who knows how that offense will utilize him this year or next.   I think another question to ask is which option you think he is now?  And what should he be in that offense?  

  

[tuck243Participant]

Randle can’t be?  Didn’t know that…   Is the rule playing in one season game?

Also,  I liked Randle out of HS and College.   I don’t know how I feel about him playing off ball with Russell and Kobe needing the ball a lot…  But he’s still a rookie so who knows how that offense will utilize him this year or next.   I think another question to ask is which option you think he is now?  And what should he be in that offense?  

  

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Hes definitely starting to play with a lot more confidence. I thought they might bring him along slowly and start off the year with bass in the starting lineup, but he has definitely played his way into that starting role right now imo. The mid-range game is going to be a work in progress but he looks really explosive attacking the basket now that he is starting to get his legs back under him. Very encouraging signs so far.

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Hes definitely starting to play with a lot more confidence. I thought they might bring him along slowly and start off the year with bass in the starting lineup, but he has definitely played his way into that starting role right now imo. The mid-range game is going to be a work in progress but he looks really explosive attacking the basket now that he is starting to get his legs back under him. Very encouraging signs so far.

[Robb_CParticipant]

Hes obviously a great scorer, but hes also very underappreciated as a guy who can create for others. I like his game quite a bit, I think he’s also a better defender than people think

[Robb_CParticipant]

Hes obviously a great scorer, but hes also very underappreciated as a guy who can create for others. I like his game quite a bit, I think he’s also a better defender than people think

[ncballer]

 I can’t really put my finger on how I feel about his future in the NBA.  He obviously has some great ball-handling skills, a powerful body and a great work ethic/motor.  His ball handling and vision are already above average for NBA standards as a PF.  

I think his lack of length, consistency with jumper and his dependency on overpowering his defender may hinder him from reaching some people’s expectations as a superstar.  Most of if not all of his damage against the Jazz came without Gorbert and Favors on the floor.  

I am torn on him.  I will say that he will ultimately find his niche in the NBA as a 6 man backup to a PF with a highly contrasting style of play.  He will develop into a high level glue guy off the bench.  

   

 

[ncballer]

 I can’t really put my finger on how I feel about his future in the NBA.  He obviously has some great ball-handling skills, a powerful body and a great work ethic/motor.  His ball handling and vision are already above average for NBA standards as a PF.  

I think his lack of length, consistency with jumper and his dependency on overpowering his defender may hinder him from reaching some people’s expectations as a superstar.  Most of if not all of his damage against the Jazz came without Gorbert and Favors on the floor.  

I am torn on him.  I will say that he will ultimately find his niche in the NBA as a 6 man backup to a PF with a highly contrasting style of play.  He will develop into a high level glue guy off the bench.  

   

 

[llperez]

 he has looked awesome. He hit two fade away 10-15 foot shots when he tried to drive but got cut off last night that i honestly had no idea he had in him.

[llperez]

 he has looked awesome. He hit two fade away 10-15 foot shots when he tried to drive but got cut off last night that i honestly had no idea he had in him.

[IlladelphParticipant]

At Kentucky he played a defined role as a low post banger.  He rarely took outside shots, and rarely even took midrange shots.  He did a lot of driving, and muscling his way to the basket for layups or putbacks.  If you look at his high school youtube videos he is hit a ton of mid-range and some long ball shots.  I suspect that the shooting ability has always been there, but at UK he was asked to be more of a post player.  Also he got double-teamed on almost every possession and in the NBA he is going to benefit from better spacing and single coverage.  He is also a pretty good passer and can put the ball on the floor.  He is going to do very well at the NBA level as long as he stays healthy.  He could be a 20/10 guy.  

As for the "face of the NBA" comments… I think that’s a bit over the top but Hibbert may have just been referring to his overall charisma and media friendliness.

[MopgrassParticipant]

 People forget quickly. In the 2013-2014 season, so many people on here were saying Randle should be picked above Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid until a month or two before the draft. I didn’t agree with all of that, but it should serve as a reminder that he has serious talent. By the 2014-2015 season, people were saying he was a bench player. 3 good pre-season games and people are back on board. It’s kind of crazy how easily people jump on and off board on a player. Make an assessment and stick with it people. 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 People forget quickly. In the 2013-2014 season, so many people on here were saying Randle should be picked above Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid until a month or two before the draft. I didn’t agree with all of that, but it should serve as a reminder that he has serious talent. By the 2014-2015 season, people were saying he was a bench player. 3 good pre-season games and people are back on board. It’s kind of crazy how easily people jump on and off board on a player. Make an assessment and stick with it people. 

[IlladelphParticipant]

At Kentucky he played a defined role as a low post banger.  He rarely took outside shots, and rarely even took midrange shots.  He did a lot of driving, and muscling his way to the basket for layups or putbacks.  If you look at his high school youtube videos he is hit a ton of mid-range and some long ball shots.  I suspect that the shooting ability has always been there, but at UK he was asked to be more of a post player.  Also he got double-teamed on almost every possession and in the NBA he is going to benefit from better spacing and single coverage.  He is also a pretty good passer and can put the ball on the floor.  He is going to do very well at the NBA level as long as he stays healthy.  He could be a 20/10 guy.  

As for the "face of the NBA" comments… I think that’s a bit over the top but Hibbert may have just been referring to his overall charisma and media friendliness.

[Ebown5Participant]

I am a huge Randle fan. As a Sixer fan, last year some of the mock drafts right before the draft had Randle slipping to us at 10 and I was over the moon about it, even though it always seemed like wishful thinking. 

A LOT of people were saying that Aaron Gordon, and Noah Vonleh were better prospects than him, and it never made sense to me. In my mind he was 5th behind Wiggins, Embiid, Parker, and Exum, and I only ranked Exum higher in a tie breaker due to a higher ceiling imo.

He was put in a box at Kentucky, and was basically reduced to a low post scorer, which he CAN do obviously, but he can do other things as well that he showed in highschool, and is showing now in the preseason.

He isn’t a great athlete, and he isn’t very long, but he has guts, strength, and a lot of skill.

 

 

  

[Ebown5Participant]

I am a huge Randle fan. As a Sixer fan, last year some of the mock drafts right before the draft had Randle slipping to us at 10 and I was over the moon about it, even though it always seemed like wishful thinking. 

A LOT of people were saying that Aaron Gordon, and Noah Vonleh were better prospects than him, and it never made sense to me. In my mind he was 5th behind Wiggins, Embiid, Parker, and Exum, and I only ranked Exum higher in a tie breaker due to a higher ceiling imo.

He was put in a box at Kentucky, and was basically reduced to a low post scorer, which he CAN do obviously, but he can do other things as well that he showed in highschool, and is showing now in the preseason.

He isn’t a great athlete, and he isn’t very long, but he has guts, strength, and a lot of skill.

 

 

  

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 The consensus on Randle has mostly been from people who have only seen him play at Kentucky or those that place an unusally high emphasis on wingspan.  Once people watch him play a few games they will see the type of player he is.  He is not a post player.  He is best operating from about 18 feet.  Once he learns to hit that 18 footer consistently then he will be extremely dangerous.  There are only a handful of PF’s in the league that can stay in front of him right now and he’s just a puppy.  When he figures it out he will be a really tough cover for the majority of PF’s in the league.

I see some people saying he isn’t a great athlete, I will disagree.  He is an exceptional athlete.  I think the majority of the time people get hung up on vertical and think athletic.  Even though he is no slouch vertically, his gift comes in his agility with his frame.  He is rock solid and he moves very well.  Endline to endline he is incredibly fast.  During his freshman year I said his athleticism reminded me of a poor version of Lebron James.  I still stick by that.  For those that are evolved enough to realize that I didn’t just call him Lebron James they will understand.  He is crazy fast and powerful endline to endline and is a much better jumper off one foot.  When he learns to stroke the J he will be a matchup nightmare.

Wingspan doesn’t really bother me.  If a player has a huge wingspan that is definitely a plus.  The notion that a 6’9" forward with a 7’0" wingspan is somehow labeled with the "limited upside" tag boggles my mind.  Sure it will come into play, but not nearly as much as people want to harp on.  To me, he has shown flashes of being a good to great defender.  He has all the physical tools to do so (minus the coveted by draft community wingspan).  He moves great laterally, can hold his own on the block and is tenacious and a tireless worker.  His individual defense is fine and will only get better as he learns the game.  The thing that is holding him back from being a great defender is team defense.  He tends to get lost, or stops paying attention to his man.  He needs to help the helper better.  These are things that come with repetition and I would never say a player won’t be a good defender (especially when he’s 20 years old) when these are very correctable, but make no mistake they need to be corrected.

I was bullish on Randle as a senior in high school and as a rookie coming into the league.  Kentucky bottled him up and made me question which of the two players he was.  Fortunately I think Kentucky Randle was not really his game.  I think he’s going to be a very good starter in the league for along time.  

 

 

 

[Ebown5Participant]

Part of athleticism is wingspan, and he doesn’t have a great wingspan. He also isn’t explosive vertically or particularly quick. He is strong, agile and fast though. 

I think that Lebron James is a poor athletic comparison, and I think that he is more like a Karl Malone.

I disagree that he isn’t a post player too. He is a terrific post player. He has the ability to hit a jumper, and is a capable slasher, and passer, but he doesn’t have the foot speed to guard 3’s, nor is he going to blow by his man on the perimeter.

He should be fed the ball primarily with his back to the basket imo. He can do damage facing up too, but I don’t think giving him the ball on the wing suits his game. 

He definitely has an elite motor, and a real talent and ferocity for scoring in the post. How great of a rebounder can he be? Not sure.

I love him, but I don’t see him as a potential superstar. I see him as a multiple Allstar though some day though.

 

 

 

[Ebown5Participant]

Part of athleticism is wingspan, and he doesn’t have a great wingspan. He also isn’t explosive vertically or particularly quick. He is strong, agile and fast though. 

I think that Lebron James is a poor athletic comparison, and I think that he is more like a Karl Malone.

I disagree that he isn’t a post player too. He is a terrific post player. He has the ability to hit a jumper, and is a capable slasher, and passer, but he doesn’t have the foot speed to guard 3’s, nor is he going to blow by his man on the perimeter.

He should be fed the ball primarily with his back to the basket imo. He can do damage facing up too, but I don’t think giving him the ball on the wing suits his game. 

He definitely has an elite motor, and a real talent and ferocity for scoring in the post. How great of a rebounder can he be? Not sure.

I love him, but I don’t see him as a potential superstar. I see him as a multiple Allstar though some day though.

 

 

 

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 The consensus on Randle has mostly been from people who have only seen him play at Kentucky or those that place an unusally high emphasis on wingspan.  Once people watch him play a few games they will see the type of player he is.  He is not a post player.  He is best operating from about 18 feet.  Once he learns to hit that 18 footer consistently then he will be extremely dangerous.  There are only a handful of PF’s in the league that can stay in front of him right now and he’s just a puppy.  When he figures it out he will be a really tough cover for the majority of PF’s in the league.

I see some people saying he isn’t a great athlete, I will disagree.  He is an exceptional athlete.  I think the majority of the time people get hung up on vertical and think athletic.  Even though he is no slouch vertically, his gift comes in his agility with his frame.  He is rock solid and he moves very well.  Endline to endline he is incredibly fast.  During his freshman year I said his athleticism reminded me of a poor version of Lebron James.  I still stick by that.  For those that are evolved enough to realize that I didn’t just call him Lebron James they will understand.  He is crazy fast and powerful endline to endline and is a much better jumper off one foot.  When he learns to stroke the J he will be a matchup nightmare.

Wingspan doesn’t really bother me.  If a player has a huge wingspan that is definitely a plus.  The notion that a 6’9" forward with a 7’0" wingspan is somehow labeled with the "limited upside" tag boggles my mind.  Sure it will come into play, but not nearly as much as people want to harp on.  To me, he has shown flashes of being a good to great defender.  He has all the physical tools to do so (minus the coveted by draft community wingspan).  He moves great laterally, can hold his own on the block and is tenacious and a tireless worker.  His individual defense is fine and will only get better as he learns the game.  The thing that is holding him back from being a great defender is team defense.  He tends to get lost, or stops paying attention to his man.  He needs to help the helper better.  These are things that come with repetition and I would never say a player won’t be a good defender (especially when he’s 20 years old) when these are very correctable, but make no mistake they need to be corrected.

I was bullish on Randle as a senior in high school and as a rookie coming into the league.  Kentucky bottled him up and made me question which of the two players he was.  Fortunately I think Kentucky Randle was not really his game.  I think he’s going to be a very good starter in the league for along time.  

 

 

 

[Rip256]

 I don’t love Randle. I just dont see a future league where a guy like him can be anything other than a liability.

I’ve honestly never seen him ‘stand out’ on a basketball court. 

He’s basically the worst of the recent Kentucky bigs…which makes me think Isaac Humphries could be the best future big man in the NBA.

 

 

[Rip256]

 I don’t love Randle. I just dont see a future league where a guy like him can be anything other than a liability.

I’ve honestly never seen him ‘stand out’ on a basketball court. 

He’s basically the worst of the recent Kentucky bigs…which makes me think Isaac Humphries could be the best future big man in the NBA.

 

 

[trueone313detroitParticipant]

Randle is a pretty good player. At worst he could have a David West Type of career as a mid point for his potential. Dave was a 20/10 guy for some years. Randle doesn’t have that mean streak like david. But randle is nearly as powerful, more athletic, similar wingspans, much better ball handler. So what he lacks for overall brute strength he makes up for in other areas.

[trueone313detroitParticipant]

Randle is a pretty good player. At worst he could have a David West Type of career as a mid point for his potential. Dave was a 20/10 guy for some years. Randle doesn’t have that mean streak like david. But randle is nearly as powerful, more athletic, similar wingspans, much better ball handler. So what he lacks for overall brute strength he makes up for in other areas.

[SamCarlsonParticipant]

I think he is a very good prospect but is never going to be an elite defensive guy so it will be crucial for him to become a consitent mid range shooter and a leage average 3 pt threat 

[SamCarlsonParticipant]

I think he is a very good prospect but is never going to be an elite defensive guy so it will be crucial for him to become a consitent mid range shooter and a leage average 3 pt threat 

[T Rex]

 Outdated David Lee model PF, without the ambidexterity and passing ability.

Super-sub on a great team or empty stats on a bad team.

 

 

[T Rex]

 Outdated David Lee model PF, without the ambidexterity and passing ability.

Super-sub on a great team or empty stats on a bad team.

 

 

[SkalAndJamalParticipant]

with what I have been hearing about what’s really going on with Jabari Parker, Exum’s career getting staggered and Embiid unfortunately looking like he wont have much of a NBA career, I would like to say Randle if healthy will be the 2nd best player from his draft. 

 

[SkalAndJamalParticipant]

with what I have been hearing about what’s really going on with Jabari Parker, Exum’s career getting staggered and Embiid unfortunately looking like he wont have much of a NBA career, I would like to say Randle if healthy will be the 2nd best player from his draft. 

 

[T Rex]

 what do you know about Jabari’s real situation?

 

 

[T Rex]

 what do you know about Jabari’s real situation?

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Good to see Randle back playing after his short cameo last season. He has looked good in the little I’ve seen of their pre-season games so far. He’ll improve as he finds his true role in the team and having Big Roy Hibbert as his defensive anchor should negate any wingspan worries about Randle.

It will be interesting to see how many shots he gets this year, I think we have to treat this as his rookie year and the most important thing is for him to see good minutes, get a solid 70 plus game season under his belt and look a better player when the season ends than he does now.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Good to see Randle back playing after his short cameo last season. He has looked good in the little I’ve seen of their pre-season games so far. He’ll improve as he finds his true role in the team and having Big Roy Hibbert as his defensive anchor should negate any wingspan worries about Randle.

It will be interesting to see how many shots he gets this year, I think we have to treat this as his rookie year and the most important thing is for him to see good minutes, get a solid 70 plus game season under his belt and look a better player when the season ends than he does now.

 

[Author]

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