Lakers Summer League: Julius Randle playing Friday and Monday, will miss Saturday back-to-back

The Los Angeles Lakers announced that Julius Randle will make his return to competitive play on Friday to open Las Vegas Summer League play, but will sit out the following game on Saturday. Randle is expected to be back on the floor for the Lakers' game against the New York Knicks on Monday.

This will be Randle's first time playing an NBA-level five-on-five game since he suffered a grueling leg injury during the Lakers' regular season opener last year. Julius has been considered a key piece in the Lakers' rebuild, and it will be a huge step for him to finally get back on the court again.

The word out of Los Angeles is that Julius is looking great. He's lost weight, feels more mobile, and has been called a "beast" and "ox" by his teammates during Summer League practices. It's great that his recovery -- along with undergoing surgery on the screw in his foot -- is on track. Letting him ease into things and passing on a back-to-back, especially with a young player like Larry Nance Jr. who could use extra time on the floor, makes sense.

The Lakers are hopeful to have No. 2 pick D'Angelo Russell's contract squared away prior to the first game as well. Regardless, it's almost time to welcome back Julius Randle, which is worth celebrating and tossing in a video to cap off the positive vibes: