Julius Randle is coming into his first season with the Brooklyn Nets with high expectations, hoping to shock the world.

Randle isn’t new to rebuilding situations, having gotten quite acquainted with that process early on in his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Randle also had the fortune of playing alongside Kobe Bryant, learning a lot of gems along the way.

“Early in my career, I had the best example you can have in Kobe,” Randle said. “I feel like those lessons and just that example that he set for me has carried me throughout my career, to where I can be here Year 13 and I’m still trying to improve every single day.

“I get questions about Kobe all the time about what he was like on and off the court, how he worked, all those different things. It was the biggest blessing for me being around him and being able to carry those lessons into my daily life. It’s become a part of who I am; it’s become a part of my fabric and I try to carry it that way. When you’re around somebody that great and they teach you all that he’s taught me, the biggest thing I can do is just pass it along. So I try my best to do that.”

Bryant became known for his “Mamba Mentality” moniker as his career progressed, as he developed a reputation for his willingness to work harder than his competition, train relentlessly and do whatever it took to annihilate his opponents on the court every single night.

Bryant was on his retirement tour when Randle first suited up for the Lakers, but he got to see the Black Mamba explode for 60 points firsthand in Bryant’s final game on the hardwood.

Randle is now over a decade into his NBA career with several All-Star Game appearances and All-NBA Team selections under his belt.

Along the way, he helped change the trajectory of the New York Knicks franchise and the Minnesota Timberwolves continue their ascent of the Western Conference playoff picture.

On a young, rebuilding Nets team, Randle is well-equipped to be a voice for the younger guys to learn from, but he’s also still young and effective enough to perform like an All-Star-caliber player regularly.

Any wisdom Randle could share from Bryant should almost certainly help the Nets’ youngsters grow in all aspects of their game.

Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow