Let’s hope his fellow rookies enjoy similarly swift timelines of recovery. After suffering a broken leg in the season-opener on October 29, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Julius Randle is already walking without crutches and performing load-bearing exercises.
Randle spoke at length at a recent Lakers practice. He says the decision to ditch the crutches so much earlier than anticipated was one he made with indirect support from his doctor.
Via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
It appeared like a normal exercise as Lakers rookie forward Julius Randle performed a leg press during Wednesday’s practice. But it marked one of many progressions he has made since suffering a season-ending injury to his right leg in the season opener just less than two months ago.
Randle has since walked without any crutches in the past week.
“I’m not supposed to be off crutches,” said Randle, who has recently exercised on a weight-bearing treadmill. “The doctor said to go at your own pace. My pace was to get rid of them immediately.”
Randle is one of seven lottery picks to miss significant time in their rookie seasons.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid is unlikely to appear at all this season, while Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic joined Randle on the injured list in mid-November. The Charlotte Hornets’ Noah Vonleh has played in just two games, Doug McDermott will miss approximately six weeks for the Chicago Bulls after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jabari Parker – the Rookie of the Year favorite – suffered a season-ending ACL tear earlier this week.
Despite his rapid progress, Randle is still unlikely to play for the remainder of 2014-2015. Like the rest of his injured cohorts, though, his injury should do nothing over the long-haul to derail a promising career. It’s just slightly decelerated the speed of his timeline to stardom.
And should Randle attack basketball activities upon recovery with the fervor he has rehabilitation, he’ll surely realize that potential sooner than later.
What do you think?
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