Which Draft Position Is Best For Julius?

Photo via lakerholicz.com

With the NBA Draft looming, everyone is trotting out their Mock Drafts in anticipation. After a year in 2013 that produced a generally underwhelming draft class, teams will be looking to stockpile talent in what looks to be a loaded Draft. Julius Randle, once a shoo-in for a Top 5 selection find himself somewhat on the fence of the Top 5 after the lottery came and went. Falling in the draft is not necessarily a bad thing though, with 2 recent examples being Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of players taken later in the lottery or mid-1st that have turned into potential franchise players. More proof that success in the NBA is a combination of talent, work ethic, and fit within the team. Here’s some of the latest projections of where Julius Randle will end up on draft night.

DraftExpress: #7 to the Los Angeles Lakers
NBA.com Mock: #5 to the Utah Jazz
Gary Parrish (CBS): #6 to the Boston Celtics
Zach Harper (CBS): #5 to the Utah Jazz
Matt Moore (CBS): #4 to the Orlando Magic
NBADraft.net: #5 to the Utah Jazz

This isn’t by any means a full scope of all the mock drafts out there, but in reviewing them you can see that Julius is expected to go anywhere from 4th to the Orlando Magic or 8th to the Sacramento Kings, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The question is which of these landing spots will be the most beneficial for his career? Let’s look at them one-by-one.

4th Overall Pick: Orlando — Most draft experts would say it’s more likely that Noah Vonleh or Marcus Smart comes off the board at this spot, but that’s what makes the Draft fun, nobody knows for sure. The Magic have 4 players on roster at the 3 and 4 positions, but his main competition for PT would likely be with young, talented forwards Mo Harkless and Tobias Harris. Ultimately, Julius could start and be a major contributor for an organization trying to build around a very young core but I don’t think Orlando will be calling his name here.

5th Overall Pick: Utah — Although it is home to the UnderKanter, here’s to hoping Utah chooses anyone else but Julius at this spot. The Jazz have traded for and spent 1st-round picks on Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and 7-3 Rudy Gobert in recent years so it remains to be seen whether or not they will spend another top 5 pick on a Kentucky post player (although this one played in 40 more collegiate games).

6th Overall Pick: Boston — While I would love to see Rondo throwing oops to Randle at various NBA Arenas across the country next year, Boston does have a lot of post players on roster. At the 6th pick though, passing on a player with Randle’s talent could be hard to do. Boston reportedly likes Aaron Gordon at this spot but I think Julius’ ball skills and ability to pass when he wants could be appealing for Brad Stevens who’s offense was predicated on spreading the court and allowing post players like Kelly Olynyk to use their natural ability on the perimeter.

7th Overall Pick: LA Lakers — This is the most likely landing spot in my mind for Julius, because at this point in the Draft passing on Randle becomes almost unjustifiable. Pau Gasol is approaching the end of his career, and after him you have the murderer’s row of Robert Sacre, Chris Kaman, and Jordan Hill in the post. Plus, we all know Kobe Bryant will never have to get on Randle for not hustling. It’s not often you can pick up a player that most agree will be a perennial All-Star down the line outside of the top few picks, but in this year’s deep Draft, you might be able to. Also, I have an idea for a new reality show starring Jodie Meeks and Julius and their lives in Los Angeles.

8th Overall Pick: Sacramento —  Despite the dumpster fire that the Sacramento franchise has been the last 6-7 years, if the Kings can convince Rudy Gay to resign with the club, then having a frontcourt trio of Rudy Gay, Julius Randle, and Demarcus Cousins could be a good start on the path back to the playoffs. On the other hand, the Kings traded for former 2011 2nd overall pick Derrick Williams last year and have veteran PF’s in Carl Landry and Jason Thompson on roster as well. Once again it would be hard for the Kings to pass up on Randle if he were still around at pick #8. It would be a great move for the organization and we would get the added bonus of watching Julius and Boogie team up to frighten NBA frontcourts around the country.

All in all, I would love to see Julius taken with the 4th pick because I definitely believe he is one of the top 5 players in this Draft, but in the end I think it’s much more likely that he ends up in Boston or Los Angeles. There’s never anything wrong with the possibility of landing with one of the 2 winningest franchises in the league’s history, who have the potential to surround him with quality players much quicker than less prominent franchises. I think Julius would be best served in Los Angeles, potentially learning from one of the most skilled post players of this generation in Pau Gasol and one of the greatest competitors and players in NBA history in Kobe Bryant. What’s not to like about that?

–@WillTottenKSR