Julius Randle made a formality official on Tuesday afternoon by announcing he's leaving Kentucky after one season to enter the 2014 NBA Draft.
NBA Draft 2014: Julius Randle declares, but how good of a pro prospect is he?
The freshman forward is making the leap to the next level.
Ronald Martinez
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
I would like to thank the entire Kentucky family for this year, but I have decided to take the next step and enter into the NBA draft.
— Julius Randle (@J30_RANDLE) April 22, 2014 Randle entered college as a consensus top-three incoming recruit with Duke's Jabari Parker and Kansas' Andrew Wiggins in the class of 2013, and mostly lived up to the hype. He was Kentucky's best player the entire season, leading a young if underwhelming Wildcats team that suffered some bad losses before finally finding its groove in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky's run to the national championship game as a No. 8 seed gave Randle plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents to pro scouts, and he rarely disappointed.
NBA Draft
Randle was particularly effective in the Sweet 16 against Michigan (16 points and 11 rebounds) and in the Elite 8 against Wisconsin (16 points on 10 shots) as Kentucky continued to earn close victories to make an unlikely push to the last game of the season. Randle finished his only year in college as the nation’s leader in double-doubles, putting up 24 in 40 games. No other freshman had more than 14.
Randle’s combination of strength and touch around the rim made him a force in college, but there are concerns about him at the next level. It’s mostly because he struggles finishing over length due to a wingspan that will be one of the shortest among starting NBA power forwards.
Another concern for Randle centers on his ability to develop a face-up game. As more and more power forwards are asked to stretch the floor to keep the paint unclogged, Randle is going to have to focus on improving his range if he’s going to be an All-Star-caliber player. Defense will be another issue for Randle in the NBA. He’ll have to prove he has the lateral quickness to defend opposing fours who are just as big and just as athletic as he is. They will be longer, too.
Despite his relative shortcomings, Randle still has the potential to be a very good NBA player. He’s more skilled than people realize as a passer and ball handler. How many men his size could pull this move?
It does appear like Parker, Wiggins and Kansas center Joel Embiid are all ahead of Randle on draft boards. To get selected in the top five, Randle will have to beat out two players of a strong group that includes Australian point guard Dante Exum, Arizona forward Aaron Gordon, Indiana forward Noah Vonleh and Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart. It's a deep draft, but that will be just fine for a team potentially grabbing Randle at No. 7 or No. 8. If he can flush out his skill set, he should be a dynamic forward in the NBA, even if he isn't one of the best players in the league.
Kentucky's Frontcourt
Kentucky will be just fine without Randle, so don't worry about that. With 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein returning to school and incoming McDonald's All-Americans Trey Lyles and Karl Towns joining an already crowded front court, the Wildcats have all the talent they need up front to compete for another national title.
This is what John Calipari means when he says “Proceed and Succeed.” After one dominant year at Kentucky, Randle is ready to make millions at the next level, opening up a spot for more future pros. This is just how Calipari drew it up.
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