Three reasons why Julius Randle should start at center next season
By Keith Rivas
It could be what keeps the chemistry from completely de-railing
The rookie years for Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball have been nice, particularly when you consider the chemistry when they’re on the floor together that we’ve seen since Summer League, but the future seems to have some major question marks.
For instance, how long is Kuzma willing to be second fiddle to Lonzo in Los Angeles just because of the brand and hype behind the star point guard. The pay difference will come up when they’re both free agents, but that’s a bit down the road. Imagine though, just how different things could really be for the Lakers a season from now.
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They’ll have made a decision on LiAngelo Ball by then, LaVar will have had his reactions set for the time being, and Lonzo is either going to continue playing it off as not a big deal or the Lakers are going to be in the middle of a heck of a mess and might have to make a trade if push comes to shove.
So how does this even involve Julius Randle?
Well, starting Randle at center because of this reasons means that it’s more of a preventive measure. Think about it from his end, too — getting starting minutes is going to make him happy and give you one less major locker room hurdle to really worry about.
Also, if you did sign someone like Paul George over the summer, you are going to have to prioritize how you handle team chemistry if you’re Magic Johnson. It forces his hand, but if you’ve got Paul George helping in terms of rebounding and dishing assists, it makes even more sense to let Julius Randle play his game at the five.
It also allows for the emergency scenario of there being good chemistry between Kuzm and someone not named Lonzo Ball if they ever did have to trade him. This would be in the hopes that Kuzma’s game wouldn’t drop significantly without Ball on the floor, but that’s another big what-if they’ll have to take one step at a time.
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At the end of the day, giving Julius Randle the responsibilities of being the team’s center is the best move for them if they want to make worthwhile strides next season.