Basketball Recruiting: Does Julius Randle’s Style Translate Well at the Next Level?
By Matt Hamm
Julius Randle is the second rated player in the 2013 class and the North Carolina Tar Heels top target. At 6-9, 240 pounds, Randle has the body of a traditional power forward, but he’s anything but traditional.
Randle is a very unique talent, he handles the basketball like a guard and can post you up like a center add in his improving mid and long range jump shots and you really have something special in Julius Randle. It’s both fun and difficult to evaluate Randle, I truly can’t remember a player exactly like him.
The best comparisons I come up with are Lamar Odom and current Tar Heel James Michael McAdoo. Big men with rare athleticism combined with guard like skills on the court. Odom was a terrific college basketball player from the start, instantly the star on Rhode Islands roster, he put RI on the map. Utilizing his unbelievable range and ball handling skills to control the offense in the half court and give opposing players a tough defensive task.
McAdoo on the other hand struggled for much of his freshman season. Not a traditional post player, it was obviously difficult for him to find his way on a team filled with stars. McAdoo’s strengths are a lot like Randles, he can handle the ball, go coast to coast, is a defenses nightmare attacking the basket.
The question here is, will Randle be more like Odom or McAdoo when he arrives on a college campus (Chapel Hill)? I believe we’re looking at a talent that will remain unique and dominating right through his NBA debut. Even when I watch Randle struggle offensively like he has a couple times with his shot this summer on the AAU circuit, he still makes a huge impact on the game.
Randle dominates the game in many ways, if he’s not hitting his shot, he’s rebounding the basketball and setting up his teammates. He’s playing strong defense, he gets to the line, in other words, he does it all. All that is very close to the way I felt about James Michael McAdoo coming out of high school.
So what will Randle’s college transition be like? I think the biggest thing will be the program he chooses to play for (UNC). He won’t go to some average program, Randle will join one of the elites, UNC, Duke, Kentucky and Kansas are the most likely. For instance, if he goes to Duke will he be satisfied setting screens for the perimeter players to launch 75 three’s every game? Probably not.
Randle needs to go somewhere with at least one traditional big man that can fill the post up need in the half court. He also needs to be on a team that likes to run, freeing him up to push the ball and utilize his unique talents. The worst thing that could ever happen to Julius Randle would be for him to have restrictions on his creativity, he must have the freedom to utilize all of his unique talents.
If Randle is forced into the post the whole game or forced to slow it down and get the ball to a guard every time after the rebound his comfort level on the court will diminish. Randle recently stated that he doesn’t even know when or how he is going to trim his list and doesn’t see himself signing until the spring. Meaning coaches will have to wait another year to find out if they will have Julius Randle on their roster.
Randle is smart to wait, every single coach in the country would love to have him on their roster and they will wait on his decision no matter how long it takes. If Randle’s coach’s and advisors are smart they are watching the elite teams that are recruiting Randle’s rosters develop. The team that Randle fits the best in next springs signing period will likely end up with his services for the next season.
I’m still predicting that team will be Carolina who already have Isiah Hicks in 2013, and a couple of nice post players in Brice Johnson and Joel James in this years recruiting class. I think Roy Williams can sell him on the fact that he has plenty of big men he can plant inside and a running offense he can plug himself into right away and lure Randle to Chapel Hill.