Lakers' coach Byron Scott: Julius Randle has 'got to grow up'
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott had some harsh words for second-year power forward Julius Randle after he pouted from the bench during the team's 97-77 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Scott was upset that he had to insert the Lakers' starters back in the final frame after the reserves blew a 38-point lead, and decided to call out Randle's defense and lack of maturity in handling being benched. Via ESPN.com:
"He's got to grow up," Scott said Monday after the Lakers' practice at their facility. "Simple as that."
Scott added, "I think the main thing I don't like is, when you take him out of a game, how he acts sometimes. But again, I chalk it up to immaturity and just being inexperienced at this level because it's going to happen again. I'm going to take him out of other games that he's not going to like."
The 21-year-old Randle later defended that it was more the lineup's fault than just his own:
"I don't think there was defense on the court at all in the fourth quarter, and he singled me out," Randle said Monday after practice. "I think it was a team thing."
This is just another example of the increasingly contentious relationship seen between Scott and the Lakers' two young centerpieces.
Neither Randle nor rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell took well to their bench last month, with Randle appearing to have an especially hard time accepting a reserve role by rookie forward Larry Nance Jr.
Scott has claimed that he doesn't have the patience to develop young players this season, even though the Lakers are clearly not a playoff team and have no path to return to the postseason without nurturing and showcasing their impressive young talent.
Though while Russell and Randle have improved their effort and play off the bench, neither has returned to the starting lineup, and Scott has suggested it could be a while.
Regardless of Scott's questionable decision-making with the rotation, Randle shouldn't handle a benching the way he did -- displaying disgust and refusing to shake his teammates' hands.
Though Scott could have handled the issue privately, instead of publicly embarrassing his sophomore stud.
