The Lakers have confirmed a broken tibia for Randle.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Julius Randle suffered a severe leg injury on a drive vs. the Houston Rockets in his debut Tuesday.
Rachel Nichols of Turner Sports reports that it's a broken leg for the rookie out of Kentucky.
#Lakers medical staff tells me Julius Randle has broken his leg. Awful to see him carted off here.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 29, 2014
The injury is another in a long, and frankly disturbing series of severe injuries for the Lakers who have also lost Steve Nash for the season with nerve damage, Nick Young, who's out with a broken hand, and who just got back Xavier Henry from a nearly year-long knee injury.
It's clearly devastating for the rookie who was set to compete with Jordan Hill and Ed Davis for minutes at power forward. It's a huge blow for the team despite the depth at the position, as Randle is projected as a significant part of their future after being drafted seventh last June.
If we chalk up all these injuries to bad luck, as nearly everyone does, the Lakers are about to scorch past the Blazers in the misfortune department. They were also blown out by 18 points at home, and it looks to be a long season. Randle was supposed to be the bright spot even if the team is rebuilding. It seems no matter how bad things get for the Lakers, they can get worse.
Here's wishing a speedy recovery for Randle.
