FanPost

WHY YOU SHOULD BET ALL YOUR MONEY ON JULIUS RANDLE

Julius Randle isn't the first player to come through the University of Kentucky that appears to have a ridiculously high ceiling. John Calipari has 20 former players currently in the NBA, while 15 of them went to Kentucky. John Calipari attempts to sell his guys on molding together as a team, besides a couple of isolation players playing alongside each other. The 2011-2012 national title team would be a good example, with Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist going first and second while attempting the fifth and fourth most shots on the team.

Julius Randle bought in to the same thing. Coach Cal rarely lets his guys run isolation, even if the player happens to be a monster like Julius. Julius still managed to average 15 PPG while shooting 50% from the floor, while also tallying 10.4 rebounds per game. Randle was best when he was attacking the rim, and appeared to make better decisions as the season progressed.

Randle is 6'9", 250 lbs., with a 7'0" wingspan. A plus side to having that big frame is that he is laterally gifted. Randle is quick and shifty enough to blow past the bigger 4's, (like LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe), while still being able to bang down low a couple times a game, too.

The reason I think Randle will transition to the NBA surprisingly well is that he has more freedom. Although Kobe Bryant is going to be a little bit more demanding than Coach Cal, Randle will still be able to play at his own pace. It was ill-advised for Randle to pull up for a 15-footer at Kentucky, which he has shown in his workouts that he can willingly knock down. Randle only averaged 1.4 assists per game, but that number is a little misleading. Randle is fantastic at seeing the floor, along with penetrating and dishing it out.

Something that occurred at Kentucky far too often was Randle drawing a double or triple team, kicking it to the open guy, and the shooter missing the shot. The NBA is more likely to reward you for making the right play. Randle is also less likely to draw nearly as many triple teams because you can't leave two guys wide open.

Julius Randle only shot the ball 18 times from behind the arch last year. He didn't shoot a high percentage from three by any means, but it shows he won't jack up threes just for the hell of it.

Julius didn't play the first game of the Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists throughout the remaining four games. Unfortunately, he also averaged 3.5 turnovers a game. To Randle's credit, he hadn't played 5-on-5 basketball since Kentucky lost in the National Championship game.

I think Julius might go through a couple of growing pains this season, but it'll help that Kobe Bryant will be playing alongside him. Julius has proven to be a winner; he won 3 state championships in high school and we all know what happened at Kentucky. I'm not going to go and bet a month's salary on Julius Randle winning Rookie of the Year, but that's mostly because I'm unemployed. If you have any money whatsoever, you should definitely bet every last bit of it on him winning ROTY... if you don't happen to win, I will gladly accept full responsibility.