Insider Gives Harsh Assessment of $117 Million Knicks Star

Getty Julius Randle has many doubters.

The New York Knicks are going into the season with many familiar faces, but there are some newer faces fans will have to get used to.

One such face is Jalen Brunson, the coveted point guard the Knicks acquired at the start of free agency. Joining his is Isaiah Hartenstein, somebody who will be manning the backup center position and bringing a skillset to the team that should surprise some fans.

Julius Randle is somebody that fans will be watching closely as he went from an All-Star appearance into a disappointing campaign. His numbers were still very solid at 20/10/5, but the efficiency ended up being the major issue for him.

He has a contract extension that kicks in for this season that pays him north of $100 million over four years, so the team will either have to stick with him and hope for him to recapture that form from two seasons ago, or they could look for a trade.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger shared a damning assessment of the Knicks forward by saying his best fit would be a sixth man role at this point, but there’s really no way New York would consider that.

Hollinger Says a 6th Man Role is Best

In a preview of the upcoming Knicks season, Hollinger doesn’t give fans a lot to be optimistic about. He writes that he believes the moves made don’t move the needle for them, and they are in a similar spot as they were last season as a play-in level type.

As for Randle, he believes his best role would be a playmaker for the bench, but his contract makes that highly unlikely to happen.

“Randle is neither a plus floor spacer nor a plus defender; he probably works best as a sixth man who can be a fulcrum for second units, but his pay grade is way beyond that role at this point,” he wrote.

The year Randle was named to the All-NBA team, a year which the Knicks also secured the fourth seed in the playoffs, is something that Hollinger has also called “indefensible.”

“It’s amazing to see this just one year removed from him making the All-Star team and second-team All-NBA*, but Randle’s contract and playing style now loom as one of the Knicks’ biggest impediments to success. (*- an indefensible vote, but still),” he said.

Don’t Count on a Change

There are many Knicks fans who want to see Obi Toppin play more, but it’s highly unlikely the team would ever have him start of Randle. Tom Thibodeau is also reluctant to playing the two alongside each other, so Randle’s role appears to be very set.

Toppin has shown he deserves more minutes, and there is a chance he’ll cut into Randle’s, but don’t expect it to happen right away. As it stands right now, Randle is the clearcut starter, and he’s earned it.

The Knicks are on the hook for a lot of money with him, and he’s a big part of the team’s future. They’ll just have to hope he finds the All-Star form again.