Julius Randle will attempt to lift the Brooklyn Nets out of the NBA's basement this season. He's wasting no time stepping into a leadership role after his trade to the young team.

Randle spent time in Texas this summer with first- and second-year Nets Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson. He said the trip featured training sessions and off-court activities, including an interesting round of golf.

“Egor, Mikel, Joshua, all those guys are extremely hard workers. Their attention to detail [is very high],” Randle said of his new teammates on Saturday while hosting a back-to-school clinic at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center. “Their compete level is really high, whether it's playing one-on-one or we're in a shooting drill or whatever, everything is done at game speed with attention to detail. They're smart, high-IQ basketball players. So it was really fun. And then we got to kick it and just really hang out outside of the court. We played a little golf in the Texas heat, which was a little interesting for them. I think about the third hole and they're all trying to take their shirts off on a golf course, and you can't do that. So we got a little warning in the middle of playing golf. But I had fun, man. It was refreshing being around youthful energy like that.”

Randle's on-court production and leadership will be paramount if the Nets hope to exceed low expectations this season. Brooklyn's roster features an NBA-high 11 players age 24 or younger.

Randle has experience elevating a young New York team from irrelevance to the playoff picture.

Julius Randle filling leadership role with youthful Nets following offseason trade

Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr. in Nets uniform

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The New York Knicks won 17 games in 2018-19, tied for the lowest in their franchise's history. However, New York signed Randle the following offseason and won 41 games en route to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs during his second season.

Randle played alongside several young Knicks draft picks during those seasons, such as R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson and Obi Toppin. The 6-foot-9 forward performed at an All-Star level while leading the young squad, averaging 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists on .450/.338/.768 shooting splits across his five seasons with the team.

The Nets are confident they can get that same leadership and production from Randle during his age-32 season.

“[Julius] is going to be a leader, that's for sure,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said at Summer League. “We're bringing a three-time All-Star, a guy who's been in the playoffs eight times. He's won a lot of playoff series. He's got the experience. But [General Manager] Sean [Marks] and his group also bring around [players with] the right character. [Julius] wants to lead, he wants to do it the right way, he's very happy to be with us and help us grow. So, his leadership, not just with his voice, but also by example, is going to be very, very important.”

Despite their Randle trade and Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner signings, expectations for the Nets remain low as they shed the tanking label this season. Brooklyn's over/under win total is set at 24.5, the second-lowest in the NBA, ahead of only the Sacramento Kings (20.5), per FanDuel Sportsbook.

Randle is confident the Nets can silence their doubters. The three-time All-Star will shoulder a heavy burden in that pursuit following his return to the Big Apple.