NBA-bound Kentucky star Julius Randle likely needs surgery on his right foot that could keep him out of action through the rookie summer league.
With the June 26 NBA Draft just two weeks away, Yahoo! Sports.com reports Randle is expected to put off the procedure until after the draft and is even scheduled to work out for the Celtics on Friday.
Julius Randle declares for NBA draft
The surgery stems from an injury Randle suffered while a high school senior in Texas that sidelined him for three months. At that time, a screw was placed in the 6-foot-9, 250 pound forward's foot that now needs to be removed. Reportedly, Randle hasn't experienced any further complications or pain in the foot and didn't miss any games while at Kentucky.
"He could drop some in the first round, but I don't think it will be because of the injury," one Eastern Conference official told Yahoo. Still other execs told the website they don't expect Randle's status to be impacted and most consider it to be a minor issue.
Randle was a third-team All-American at Kentucky and the Southeastern Conference Rookie of the Year. He's considered one of the most physical and powerful players in this year's draft class, which also includes fellow freshman stars Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Tyler Ennis and Aaron Gordon.
The 19-year-old Randle averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who came within a victory of winning a national title with an an all-freshman starting lineup.
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