Knowledge retention and repetition each play a major part in a young NBA player’s developmental process. A great college guard usually gets to do the things that make him great for the majority of his career, but rookie big men typically need to add nuance to their games that wasn’t previously necessary.

In that sense, it’s a good thing that Randle looked like a completely different player in the NBA’s summer league — floating on the perimeter and playing like a wing —mere months removed from being chained to the paint for Kentucky. It’s a small sample size, but Randle almost never posted up with his back to the basket in Summer League; instead, he was isolating off the dribble. He wasn’t throwing up “Moses Malone” shots over double-coverage just to get his own rebound; he was pulling up and kicking out to open shooters. He was making plays.

You’re probably sick of the fuss about stretch big men, and how they’re taking over the league, but stretch is about more than just shooting. Today’s frontcourt players also need to be adept passers, able to make quick and accurate decisions when reading defenses from the middle of the floor. Randle had just 57 assists in 40 games at Kentucky, and generally speaking, college bigs don’t get the reps to develop these particular skills at that level.

Admittedly, that’s in part because college basketball is a different game with different rules than the NBA, but if the Utopian goal for great young prospects is to receive professional development and be showcased, then most collegiate experiences are only providing half of the equation.

We’ve seen other cases in recent years. Take 2013 No. 4 overall pick, Cody Zeller, for example. He spent two seasons at Indiana, and in his last year there, he shot just 0.7 jumpers per game, according to DraftExpress.com.

But in his rookie year for Charlotte, Zeller relied on his jumper as his primary offensive weapon, with disastrous results.

Zeller’s entire purpose on the basketball court changed from being a post scorer to a perimeter-oriented big man, rendering most of his offensive experience at Indiana obsolete. While it’s possible he might simply be an NBA bust, it’s hard to argue that Zeller wouldn’t have been better prepared for the NBA if he had done some of things that the Indiana coaching staff presumably knew would be required of him at the next level. On his particular Hoosiers teams, though, there were better shooting options available, and they needed whatever post scoring they could get. There’s a similar fear with how Randle was used last season at Kentucky.

Thomas Robinson, the 5th overall pick in 2012, shares some uncomfortable common traits with Randle as well, particularly on the defensive side of the ball in steal and block rates. According to Ian Levy’s similarity scores at HickoryHigh.com, both Robinson, Zeller and new teammate Jordan Hill ranked in the top 10 of players with college stats and profiles that matched up most closely with Randle. None have been very good pros yet, although Hill turned into a productive big under Mike D’Antoni the last 1.5 seasons.

Obviously, the Lakers are hoping Randle will be able to outproduce those players quickly, but the amnesty acquisition of Carlos Boozer — who can’t be traded this season — might signal that the front office is prepared for the possibility that Randle’s development into something more than just a paint scorer might not be so rapid.

Still, make no mistake: the Lakers will need that to happen sooner rather than later. There just isn’t much room on the roster for yet another big man who only scores at the rim, particularly with Bryant presumably spending even more time operating out of the post. The Lakers need someone who can defend on and off the ball, step up as a secondary playmaker and help space the floor in addition to everything else. That kind of evolution could happen with time, but after a year of arrested development at Kentucky, it’s Randle probably won’t have the benefit of time on his side.