Commentary: Randle has good shot at fruitful career — if he can develop a good shot

Talk to the Lakers’ shooting coach about 21-year-old forward Julius Randle and you’ll probably hear quotes attributed to famous basketball people.

Tracy Murray will remind you of John Wooden’s “Be quick but don’t hurry” mantra. Or he’ll mention Reggie Miller, who had an unusual shooting style but deadly accuracy and would say, “It’s not just your form that matters.”

As the Lakers try to unlock the subtle mysteries of the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, shooting coach Murray sounds wise, taking the long view on a player who’s a bit short to play power forward but makes up for it with extra effort.

That shot, though. Oh, that outside shot.

If Randle could drain 16-footers with the same zeal he tracks rebounds, the Lakers would have a real player on their hands.

As it is, his 23 double-doubles this season lead all second-year big men, a stat the Lakers point to with a smile. It’s impressive, though to add some perspective, Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns leads all rookies with 32 double-doubles.

Randle, listed at 6-foot-9, obviously gets the rebounding part, leaving the Lakers to work on his shot. It’s where Wooden’s words come into play.

Randle easily takes a defensive rebound and moves the length of the court with it. But then his attempt at the basket is often askew. He also tends to hurry when fed the ball in the post.

“When he’s going fast, he has a flat shot. It looks like it’s coming out of a cannon,” said Murray, who had a 12-year NBA career that included a 50-point outburst for the Washington Wizards. “When he puts it on the deck, he hasn’t figured out how to slow the shot down. That’s the next step. Slow down and get the shot high and far. He already finishes high [with his release]. Now he has to shoot the ball up instead of out.”

Murray can relate. Stop signs were thrown at him almost immediately after he was drafted 18th overall out of UCLA in 1992.

“That’s the hardest thing for young guys to understand. When they tell you that you’re not fast, then you try to be fast,” he said. “I had to go through it as a player.”

It’s important to note that Murray has no problem with Randle’s catch-and-shoot style. None at all, actually.

“Right now, he is catching and shooting without thinking about it, without worrying what people are thinking,” Murray said. “He’s catching it in the flow and he’s shooting the basketball with confidence. Between the ears is 90 percent of the jump shot. I don’t care how great your form is. If you look at the great Reggie Miller, he had a weird form, but how great of a shooter was Reggie Miller?”

Randle is shooting 42 percent from the field this season, 21st out of 22 power forwards eligible for statistical consideration and ahead of only Detroit’s Marcus Morris. Randle takes 0.4 three-point attempts per game. Morris takes 3.4.

Randle has been hitting a more acceptable 48 percent in 14 games over roughly the last month, and that includes a 1-for-5 clunker Monday against Milwaukee.

It’s been written too many times to count, but the Lakers are already eager about Randle’s upcoming off-season. Murray laid out some specifics of it, hoping a flurry of empty-gym work will help Randle handle his midrange jumper.

“Summertime, that’s when the off-the-dribble stuff starts,” Murray said. “That’s when the pump-fake, one-bounce dribbles start. Or the pump-fake, step-back stuff. That’s all next-level stuff.

“The first foundation of it is catch and shoot. If you can catch and shoot, then defenses start paying attention to you. When they start paying attention to you, now your strength comes in — putting the ball on the deck and going.”

It’s not like Randle needs a boost, but the likely top two players in the June draft play power forward in college: LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who might move to small forward in the NBA.

The Lakers (11-47) currently own the league’s second-worst record. Randle, whose rookie season was wiped away by a broken leg on opening night, has only two more years on his rookie contract.

It’s nothing he spends a lot of time considering. There are other things to worry about, specifically getting the ball into the basket when he’s outside the paint. Randle noticed his shot getting smoother in recent weeks, with “a lot more arc,” he said.

“For me it’s really about repetition. When I get in the game, shoot the same shot,” he said. “I’m excited for the offseason. I know I’m willing to make the sacrifice and put in the time to get better.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Commentary: Randle has good shot at fruitful career — if he can develop a good shot."