Lakers' Julius Randle has kept in close contact with Paul George during recovery

The seventh-overall selection out of Kentucky, Los Angeles Lakers rookie power forward Julius Randle came into the league with a lot of promise, but his inaugural pro season was cut short when he broke his leg in his first pro contest.

For Randle, his rookie season has been more about recovering from injury, rather than improving his game.

Randle spoke with reporters about his recovery Tuesday and said he's now pain free and isn't experiencing any soreness after workouts. Randle added that he's been in close contact with Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George, who himself just returned from a broken leg. 

The two first spoke at the Staples Center when the Pacers visited in early January. The two share an agent and have stayed in close contact since then. Randle would ask George specific questions about his recovery and said George was always helpful.

Randle also said he doesn't see this as a lost season, saying he's grown mentally as the year has progressed. He's watched a lot of film and spent time thinking the game.

"Even though I didn't get to play, it was still a huge learning process and I got a lot out of it," Randle said.

Randle said that his short-term goal is to play in the Summer League and he hopes to be 100 percent for training camp in October.