Julius Randle undergoing surgery to replace screw in foot

UPDATE, 1/6 10:57 a.m.: The Lakers announced Randle underwent successful surgery to replace, not remove, the screw in his foot Tuesday morning.

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Julius Randle will undergo surgery to remove the screw in his right foot, the team announced Sunday. Randle's foot was surgically repaired during his senior year in high school.

Randle's foot was one of the main concerns regarding his long-term value heading into the draft, and was a reason many teams were hesitant to draft him high. Instead, the University of Kentucky prospect fell to the Lakers with the seventh-overall pick, and the team elected to pass on removing the screw.

The decision to remove it now that he's out for the entire '14-15 season makes sense, taking care of a potential problem in the future while he's limited to rehabbing his broken leg. Randle is expected to make a full recovery from the surgery, and is still on the same return timetable since the devastating injury he suffered on opening night.

Randle was at the Lakers' game Sunday and took the opportunity to ask Indiana Pacers personnel to speak with Paul George about recovering and rehab. George broke his leg during a Team USA exhibition game in Las Vegas, sidelining him for the '14-15 season as well.