The Los Angeles Lakers' season got off to a rough start Tuesday night; in addition to being routed by the Houston Rockets on their home floor, the Lakers lost first-round pick Julius Randle to a broken right tibia in his NBA regular season debut.
Randle, who had two points in 14 minutes off the bench, went up for a layup before crumpling to the court in pain. The severity of the injury wasn't initially obvious, but it came into focus when stretchers made their way to the court, and he was placed in an air cast.
"Even for myself, being a veteran and dealing with something like this, it's tough," Lakers star Kobe Bryant said. Bryant tore his Achilles tendon before the playoffs in 2013, then missed all but six games of last season with a fractured knee. "For him being a 19-year-old kid, it's tough. That's what we're here for. We're here to pick him up and take it day by day."
Bryant, whose leadership and ability to co-exist with teammates was called into question this offseason, could be seen reassuring Randle as he was attended to by medical personnel.
Randle was taken to a nearby hospital, and is expected to require surgery. There is no timetable yet for Randle's return to the court, nor is it known if he will be able to play again this season.
Despite being taken at No. 7 overall, Randle wasn't tabbed to start as a rookie. With him out, veteran free agent signee Carlos Boozer will have to play bigger minutes, and Ed Davis will receive more minutes off the bench. Davis averaged 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds last season splitting time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors.
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