Lakers select Julius Randle with the No. 7 pick in 2014 NBA Draft

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The Los Angeles Lakers selected Kentucky forward Julius Randle with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

Obviously, the Lakers aren't all that concerned about Randle's surgically repaired right foot, which reportedly may need a small procedure following the draft. It was enough that Randle's hold on a top-10 pick once seemed tenuous, even though he was said to have blown a few teams away in his workouts.

That's not hard to imagine, as Randle is as impressive and NBA-ready a prospect there is in this draft. Coming off a season in which he averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 50 percent, including a somewhat surprising run to the NCAA Tournament finals after a disappointing Wildcats season, Randle promises to provide toughness and versatile scoring from the jump.

While he's somewhat less imposing on defense than Aaron Gordon or Noah Vonleh, concerns about Randle being more of a three were killed with how he measured at the pre-draft combine. He's one of the safest picks in the draft, even with the foot issue.

"The team's that passed on me will regret it," Randle said, surely endearing himself to new teammate Kobe Bryant.

For the Lakers, the biggest draw here is that Randle is ready to contribute immediately. For a team that has a two-year window with superstar Bryant, an instant-impact was a must, and Randle is the most sure bet to do that remaining on the board. As an interior scorer and banger, he represents a nice offensive complement to Bryant's game, too.

You can read more about Randle in our scouting report.