OKLAHOMA CITY -- Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak recently spotted something unusual while watching forward Julius Randle working out on the court. He wouldn't quite elaborate on what he saw, only saying that Randle was working on a few moves that seemed new, but it made Kupchak curious.

"Julius, why don't you do that more often?" Kupchak asked.

Randle pointed to his right leg, the one he broke in the team's season-opener against the Houston Rockets two years ago, sidelining him for his entire rookie campaign after being drafted seventh overall in the summer of 2014.

"I'm just getting complete confidence now," Randle told Kupchak.

That confidence is on display through the Lakers' first few games, despite the team's 1-2 record after a 113-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday.

Against the Thunder, Randle tied for a team-high with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 32 minutes. And as he did much of last season, Randle ignited many fast breaks after snatching a rebound and then sprinting up the court, which led to Lakers coach Luke Walton's calling Randle the spark to their best start of the season (the Lakers led the Thunder 16-8 early on).

"We don't really have to run an offense when he pushes the ball like that," Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell said.

Last season was essentially Randle's rookie campaign, and the former Kentucky standout didn't disappoint, becoming one of nine players to average a double-double (11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds) while doing so in fewer minutes (28.2) than anyone in that group.

Yet Randle's resurgence, especially after such an injury, was overshadowed by Kobe Bryant's farewell tour. Even this season, Randle's strong play is a bit overlooked because it's competing with several other Lakers' story lines, such as the emergence of Russell, the intrigue of 2016 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram and new head coach Walton.

However, Randle continues to show why he's considered a key element to the Lakers' rebuilding efforts, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound athletic bruiser who can handle the ball, and his progress is in no small part to simply being able to trust his right leg again.

"There's more confidence, and it just comes with playing, getting back used to your body," Randle said Sunday.

Randle recounted the specific workout that Kupchak referenced, and Randle said what he was doing differently that day wasn't anything too special. He said he was just jumping off his right foot instead of jumping off both feet, which he did following the injury.

"I was always a one-foot jumper," he said. "It just took me awhile to get back used to that."

As Kupchak looked back on Randle's injury, he remembered how the team worked to keep the then-19-year-old still involved while healing from surgery. The method was simple, akin to a homework assignment: watch the games, write up reports and turn them into Kupchak. Randle's game reports weren't long -- less than a page, Kupchak said -- and the overall assignment called only for Randle to explain what he noticed offensively and defensively.

"Just to keep him engaged, that's all," Kupchak noted.

But Kupchak came away impressed.

"They were insightful," Kupchak said. "He got it. He could see the game."

Looking back, Randle smiled when asked about those reports, which he said he wrote for the first couple of months before being able to spend more time around the team as he rehabbed his leg.

"It just helped me really pay attention to the details of the NBA game," he said.

Kupchak said the tactic was new but necessary considering the circumstances.

"We haven't had an injury like that, that early in the season, [and] to that young a player," Kupchak said. "It would've been really easy for him to get discouraged. With a veteran, it's easier to deal with, but [for a] first game, 19 years old, and his mom was here, his family was here, it was rough. It was a rough night. It was tough on him."

But, as planned, Randle said the reports helped him stay connected to the Lakers.

"It made me know that I played for an organization that cared," Randle said. "My teammates and coaches -- everybody cared."

Now, Randle's continued strides have put the injury even further in the rear-view mirror.

"I feel great. My body feels better than ever," Randle said. "Just getting back to being me."