Draymond Green had some tall praise for his counterpart, Julius Randle, after his Golden State Warriors escaped a narrow overtime affair with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Randle was a spark plug off the bench and hit the Warriors for 20 points, a vast difference from his previous outings against the defending champions.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year noted Randle was a key cog in the Lakers keeping pace with the Warriors.

“He continues to get better each and every year,” Green according to Lakers Nation. “He brings a lot of energy to that team. It's kind of a thing, when he's in the game, that's kind of when they go on the runs.”

“It's kind of tough, he's been a starter his whole career and then he kind of gets demoted to the bench, if you wanna look at it as a demotion; but it I think he's handled it as well as anybody and he brings the life to that team.”

Randle saw increased playing time with the absence of Kyle Kuzma and logged even nine more minutes than starter Larry Nance Jr., who finished scoreless with four steals and a block.

The 6-foot-8 power forward shot an effective 9-of-13 from the floor and got the scrap buckets when they counted most against a Warriors team that refused to let go of the rope. Randle has found himself to be the odd man out in Luke Walton's rotation, playing behind Nance and Kuzma this season.