The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. They will be taking on former Lakers forward Julius Randle in this matchup.
Randle was drafted by the Lakers seventh overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. He played his first four seasons with Los Angeles before being part of the Anthony Davis trade.
Randle is now facing his former team in the postseason for the first time. He is teaming up with Anthony Edwards as they try to take down LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Current Lakers head coach JJ Redick was a former teammate with Randle in New Orleans. They have a history, even though it was brief, because Randle didn’t stay with the Pelicans for very long.
When asked if Redick brings anything to the series, Randle had a playful response.
Redick is certainly a candidate for Coach of the Year. What he has done with this lineup, even before the Lakers traded for Doncic, is quite remarkable.
The Lakers feel great about their chances to take down the Timberwolves partially because of what Redick can give them. He has shown that he certainly has what it taakes to be an NBA head coach.
Part of what he is going to be tasked with is figuring out how to stop Randle in the post. Randle can get hot when he plays one-on-one, and that’s what a lot of the playoff basketball changes into.
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Los Angeles is going to create a defensive game plan to deal with both Randle and Anthony Edwards. Edwards is the more dangerous player, especially because they don’t have a great perimeter option to guard him.
Whatever Redick decides to do defensively with Edwards has the potential to determine what the team is going to do in this series. If the Lakers can slow him down, they have an excellent shot to advance.
During the regular season, Randle averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. He shot 48.5 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
