Walton: Randle 'frustrated' over not being a starter for Lakers
Transitioning from starting in all but one of his 74 appearances last season for the Los Angeles Lakers, to now coming off the bench with reduced playing time, has been a tough pill to swallow for Julius Randle.
"Obviously, he's a little frustrated about the starting thing," Lakers head coach Luke Walton said following his team's 108-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday, according to Bill Oram of Los Angeles Daily News.
Starting at the four spot was Larry Nance Jr., who notched a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Randle, meanwhile, had a respectable nine points and six boards in 17 minutes as a reserve.
Walton affirms that Nance Jr. being elevated to a starter at Randle's expense is not an indictment of Randle's play. It's all just a matter of which guys work best in which lineups.
"I’ve explained it’s not about whoever being better or playing better,” he added. "It’s about what units play well. And Julius was playing really with that second unit, Larry was playing well with the first unit."
Randle's body language Thursday told the story of a man who was clearly unenthusiastic about his new role, thus forcing Walton to give his big man a stern talking to on the sidelines after his first stint on the floor, which left a lot to be desired.
"When he stepped on the court for whatever that he wasn’t ready to go, like he has been for the past week (of practices). So I pulled him out to tell him about it. I know he wasn’t happy with me but that’s my job," said Walton.
The 22-year-old led the Lakers in rebounding in 2016-17 with 8.6 per game, while also contributing 13.2 points and 3.6 assists on 48.8 percent shooting. After the loss to the Clippers, Randle didn't mince words when expressing his state of mind.
"With a loss like this, not really getting able to contribute or affect the game, no, I’m not (happy)," said Randle.
The Lakers visit Talking Stick Resort Arena Friday to do battle with the Phoenix Suns.