Since Los Angeles Lakers rookie Julius Randle was already expected to miss the season with a broken leg, the player and the team decided to operate on the 20-year-old's right foot on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Lakers reported Randle underwent successful surgery to replace a screw in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. The surgery was performed by Dr. David Thordarson of the Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center.
Randle, who suffered his leg break on opening night, originally had the screw inserted into his foot back in high school. Concerns over the screw helped explain why the kid dropped to seventh in the 2014 NBA Draft, where the Lakers happily scooped him up.
Upon being drafted, the Lakers send Randle to see specialists who determined that no further surgery was required on his foot. However, with the rookie already out for the season, the Lakers and the player agreed to replace the screw that had initially caused concern.
Randle had only recently ditched his crutches and appeared to be walking fine with no assistance. Surgery on his foot will likely put an end to that, and one cannot help but wonder why the player and the team did not opt to perform this surgery earlier.
Regardless, the Lakers announced Randle expects to make a full recovery, and he expects to be a prominent figure at the Lakers' training camp and off-season workouts. Randle's participation in the NBA Summer League, where he stood out as a top talent, remains unclear.
