Re-drafting the 2014 NBA Draft: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic

Re-drafting the 2014 NBA Draft — 9. Julius Randle

Julius Randle made second team All-NBA in 2021! Otherwise, it has been a bumpy journey for the Kentucky product. He has never lagged in production — he commands the ball a lot and has long been able to stuff the stat sheet — but since he entered the league, Randle’s relationship to winning basketball has been complicated.

It’s hard to fully wrap one’s head around Randle’s play style. He’s a bruiser who has gradually expanded his game from exclusively the post and mid-range area out to the 3-point line. He dribbles and faces up a lot. He can make wildly impressive passes, but he’s equally liable to get tunnel vision and force up a contested long two. He has the tools to be a good defender, but the results have never matched the physical profile.

You have to draft Randle in the top 10 for sheer talent level. He can carry an offense on his board shoulders from time to time. He can draw double teams in the post, he will have tantalizing hot spells, and he will flirt with triple-doubles on a regular basis. And yet, sometimes it can feel like empty calories. Thus, he tumbles to the No. 9 spot.