Kobe on Randle's favorable situation as a rookie: 'You f--- this up, you're a really big idiot'

For the first time since Andrew Bynum was selected 10th overall in 2005, Kobe Bryant will be playing with a rookie lottery pick this season.

Julius Randle, selected No. 7 out of Kentucky in June, is the franchise's highest draft selection since James Worthy was taken first overall back in 1982. When you land a superstar like Bryant shortly after he's taken 13th overall and win five championships in the years that follow, high draft picks aren't exactly a part of the building plan.

And so this season, the world will see Bryant mentoring a young potential star. It's going to be interesting. As Bryant looks to instil a strong work ethic in Randle, he has a warning for his young charge: don't mess this up.

"If you fuck this up, you're a really big idiot," Bryant said Sunday when asked of his message to Randle. "ESPN are idiots, but you're really a big idiot if you manage to fuck this up."

Head coach Byron Scott praised Randle's play a great deal on Sunday, but Bryant wasn't willing to go beyond his strong words of caution. Randle's received the message.

"It's for me to mess it up," Randle said. "Kobe said you can't mess it up unless you want to. I intentionally have to mess things up."

Randle hasn't set the world afire in preseason so far, averaging just 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 19.2 minutes and shooting an ugly 41.2 percent, but it's still very early in his development. With Bryant on his case for at least two full seasons, Randle's either going to make it or be broken trying.