Kentucky big man and likely top-10 pick Julius Randle is expected to undergo surgery on his right foot after the 2014 NBA Draft at the end of June, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
2014 NBA Draft: Julius Randle injury could keep him out of Summer League
The Kentucky big man is expected to have surgery on his right foot, and although he’d almost certainly miss Summer League, he’d likely be ready for training camp next season.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The timetable for recovery would be about six to eight weeks, which would force Randle to miss the NBA’s Summer League in July. However, the belief is Randle would be cleared to play by the time training camp rolls around next season.
Nevertheless, it has many teams a little worried about his future. One executive told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that “this is an issue.” Others are concerned that Randle will forego the surgery, causing the bone to heal improperly.
NBA teams are worried that Randle failing to undergo a relatively minor procedure this summer could leave him open to major problems later.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 12, 2014 Randle has elected to contest these reports, even though multiple outlets have put something out there.
I never do this but it was brought to me and it's crazy how people put stories out there and have no clue what they are talking about.
— Julius Randle (@J30_RANDLE) June 12, 2014 No disrespect but check with the actual source next time before you put something like that out there @WojYahooNBA
— Julius Randle (@J30_RANDLE) June 12, 2014 Randle does have an injury history with his right foot, having broken it as a high school senior in Texas. A screw inserted in the foot after that injury will likely need to be removed as a precaution.
The injury still may not have much of an effect on Randle's draft stock. Most teams already know about the foot issue, and some of them consider it a relatively minor problem. The 6'9 forward is still planning workouts with teams, including the Boston Celtics, who have the No. 6 pick in the draft.
There were several players in last year's draft that were selected high despite injury concerns. Anthony Bennett was taken No. 1 overall after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. Alex Len was taken fifth despite recurring ankle problems. Nerlens Noel did slip a bit, falling to No. 6 because of a torn ACL. None of those players made an impact in their rookie campaigns, with Noel not playing at all due to his knee injury.
Randle enjoyed a standout freshman year at Kentucky, averaging 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds while leading the Wildcats to the National Championship Game. The 19-year-old won SEC Freshman of the Year and was a third-team All-American.
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