Lakers coach Byron Scott is trying to motivate rookie Julius Randle by publicly calling him out for not being in good enough shape. Repeatedly.
If that seems harsh, you should see Kobe Bryant’s words for the No. 7 pick.
Remember, this is the same Kobe who called ESPN voters who ranked him the NBA’s 40th-best player “idiots.”
Kobe on Randle playing with Kobe, for Scott:
Unfortunately, it really doesn’t work that way. The best players, even those with championship experience, don’t necessarily make the best mentors and coaches. They can’t just transfer their knowledge and skills through osmosis.
While Kobe has played for the Lakers, a dozen other first-round picks have made their debuts:
- Javaris Crittenton
- Jordan Farmar
- Andrew Bynum
- Sasha Vujacic
- Brian Cook
- Kareem Rush
- Mark Madsen
- Devean George
- Tyronn Lue
- Sam Jacobson
And here are first-round picks who made their debuts on teams Scott coached:
- Tyler Zeller:
- Dion Waiters
- Tristan Thompson
- Kyrie Irving
- Christian Eyenga
- Darren Collison
- Julian Wright
- Hilton Armstrong
- Cedric Simmons
- Chris Paul
- J.R. Smith
- Zoran Planinic
- Brandon Armstrong
- Jason Collins
- Richard Jefferson
- Kenyon Martin
Scott seems to have a much better record of player development than Kobe, both are far from perfect. Perhaps, all the busts just screwed it up themselves, but I think it’s more likely neither Scott nor Kobe provide a perfect Petri dish for rookies to grow.
Unquestionably, Randle can learn from Kobe and Scott. And, so far, it seems Randle has the talent to succeed.
But even if Randle takes every reasonable step, it’s still possible he fails as an NBA player. It’s far to soon to declare he’ll make it – even with Kobe and Scott around.
