I think this is the finally season where we start to see what Smart and Randle are truly made of.
I'm optimistic about Smart and I think he could be a special player, but I do acknowledge his shooting woes last season. They were awful, but what stops me giving from giving up on him is his rookie season averages aren't nearly as bad, and there were a few times last season where Smart single-handedly almost led Celtics comebacks against the Magic and the Mavericks. Those performances are what get me to see his potential. Not to mention Smart actually placed decently well in the playoffs. You know, when it really counted. I think what's held back Smart is not being the primary ball handler on the floor. I think Smart has shown he can run an offense as long as he has the ball in his hands. The issue is he played with Evan Turner who also needed the ball in his hands and Smart played off the ball, which I don't think suits him. Now Turner's gone, so I think we're finally going to see what Smart can do now that he's a focal point. Defensively, you already know what he's capable of. Now it's time to see if he can produce consistently on both sides of the ball. So far, he hasn't looked too bad (for him) but it's only been two games.
I've criticized Randle earlier this season, thinking he could be a Carlos Boozer/David Lee type i.e. he can put up stats but not really help his team win. This season Randle is in a different situation than he was last season. Kobe and Byron Scott are both gone, which means the handcuffs are off for not just him but the rest of the Lakers too. They can start caring about winning again! They also have added a good coach and some actual NBA-caliber players so they are starting to show signs of life. I've watched some videos that detail just how well the Lakers are starting to utilize Randle as a player compared to last season. He and Russell have good chemistry together, and Randle plays within himself a little more than he did last year. His defense still leaves a lot to be desired, but again, like with Smart's offense, you just gotta give it time.
I think both of these guys have potential to be vital contributors for good teams but in their own ways. This will probably be revisited again and again throughout their whole careers. All in all, I'm happy we have Smart.