Julius Randle scored a season-high 24 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, but his strong performance may be overshadowed by some comments that LA Lakers teammate Lonzo Ball made after the fact.
Speaking with reporters postgame, Ball was asked what he thought about Randle’s excellent showing, and his response was somewhat eyebrow-raising.
Lonzo Ball on Julius Randle: “When he plays hard, its tough to deal with him.”https://t.co/VxCg1MzUWE
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) November 20, 2017
“When he plays hard, it’s tough to deal with him,” said the star rookie of Randle. “We love having him, both offensively and defensively. He impacts the game like you said, and he’s a great addition to our team.”
Lakers coach Luke Walton admitted at the beginning of the year that Randle was not happy about coming off the bench, so it’s not too far-fetched that his effort on the court might sometimes be lacking. With that in mind, was Ball’s “when he plays hard” remark just a meaningless side comment or was it subtle shade perhaps intended to light a fire under Randle in the hopes of getting him to play with more consistency on a nightly basis? You be the judge.
