Julius Randle was the seventh overall pick by the Lakers in 2014, but he broke his right tibia in the team's opener and missed his rookie season.
He was cleared for basketball activity in March and is now ready to get back on the court and show the world what he's got. Helping him along the way is Lakers legend and teammate Kobe Bryant, 37, and former Laker and possible future teammate Metta World Peace, 35.
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"The biggest person to help get me through this was Kobe – by far," Randle told Yahoo Sports.
Bryant knows a thing or two about rehabbing from injury, although he's never had a broken leg. His most recent injury was a torn rotator cuff he suffered in February. The veteran guard has made a big impact on Randle's 20-year-old mind.
"I hope we can give him a reason to keep playing," Randle told Yahoo. "I want to keep learning from him. Kobe's going to challenge you and push you. If you have a certain fire, a love for the game, that doesn't bother you. He may not always say something to piss you off, but he maybe just says something that makes you think."
In addition to Bryant, World Peace has also made an impression on Randle. The former Laker has been training with the team during the offseason and Yahoo notes Randle is "mesmerized with the intellect of World Peace."
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Randle added that World Peace "goes out of his way to make things easy for me."
The Lakers added a lot of new talent to try and get out of the slump they've been in for the past couple of seasons. Bryant is returning from injury, Randle is returning, the team selected D'Angelo Russell No. 2 overall in this year's draft, and they acquired Roy Hibbert, among other moves.
They'll have a hard time fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but they should improve on their 21-win season from 2014, assuming they can stay healthy.
