On Monday, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Julius Randle was cleared for weight-bearing on-court basketball activity, the team announced. However, the rookie, who broke his leg in his first game as a professional, has still not been cleared for contact.
"This is about right (on schedule)," Lakers coach Byron Scott said about Randle's recovery. "This is only in preparation for getting him ready for Summer League. So, like I said, we'll try to amp it up a little bit, and by June, he should be running up and down the court getting a lot of work there and be ready for Summer League."
A night earlier, Scott had hinted at the rookie's progress when he revealed Randle would be travelling on road trips for the remainder of the season. When NBCLA.com asked Scott if there was any possibility Randle would be on the court at any point this season, Scott firmly answered, "No."
After breaking his leg on Opening Night, Randle would later have surgery on his foot to correct an issue that had lingered since his high school days.
"It was a little tough, because, you go with the leg and you start making progress on that and you feel like you have a setback because you have to have surgery on your foot," Randle said on Monday. "It was tough, but when I'm out here now, I don't think about it. I don't feel it."
Randle would reconfirm that he did not feel any discomfort in his leg: "No pain, no soreness, no nothing."
The rookie said he had grown frustrated with the elliptical and said "I hate that Alter-G" at one point in his time with the press. He also admitted that he had a long way to go as even simple non-contact drills had him winded. However, his spirits seemed high, and talk of going to early morning summer workouts with Kobe Bryant put a smile on the 20-year-old's fresh face.
"I definitely look forward to it," Randle said about the prospect of working with Bryant. "There's a lot of stuff he can teach me as far as footwork. He did last summer, and I was looking forward to carrying it into this season. It was unfortunate I couldn't."
Good to see my bro @J30_RANDLE back on the court working, just wait on it! #killa — Jordan Clarkson (@JClark5on) March 9, 2015
While Randle may not appear in the final 20 games of the 2014/15 Lakers' season, hearing positive news on his progress is still a massive boost to the team and to the future of the Lakers.
Notes: Carlos Boozer missed Monday's practice with a mild left ankle sprain. He is still considered "probable" for Tuesday's game against Detroit.
