The message seemed direct and simple. The feedback Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach Byron Scott provided to Julius Randle also captured the second-year forward’s current crossroads. “It’s up to me on how good I want to be,” Randle said. Randle already seemed good enough in the Lakers’ 2015-16 season en route to a league-leading 34 double-doubles. He represented one of only nine NBA players to average such numbers both in points (11.3) and rebounds (10.2). Randle also set a wide mark between himself and his competition in that category, including Philadelphia’s Nerlens Noel (16 double-doubles), Orlando’s Elfrid Payton (14), Orlandos’s Aaron Gordon (12) and Houston’s Clint Capela (10). Yet, Randle insisted he wants to be “great.” Clearly, neither Randle nor the Lakers see a finished product that could entail pairing with rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. on the team’s frontcourt. “I’ll come back better than I can imagine next year,” Randle said. “There’s a lot of areas in my game I can work on. I’ll leave it up to myself to get better in those areas this summer.” The areas seem infinite for Randle, whom plenty on the Lakers almost consider a rookie since he only played 14 minutes in the 2014-15 campaign before needing season-ending surgery on his right leg. Randle showed steady growth in his field-goal percentage from January (40.7 percent), February (46.7 percent) and March (47.9 percent). Yet, Randle’s inaccuracy in December (39.3 percent) and April (36.2 percent) shows he remains a work in progress with his jump shooting. The same can be said for Randle’s right hand, which he rarely used even when defenses called for it. As Kupchak observed, “He’s got to work on his ability to draw defenders when he’s on the perimeter.” - See more at: http://www.sbsun.com/sports/20160419/lakers-julius-randle-to-train-this-offseason-to-become-great
