Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks handles the ball against Ish Wainright of the Phoenix Suns.
As of late, Julius Randle has been on an absolute tear, seemingly playing like his 2020 All-NBA self in the process, and, as a result, the New York Knicks find themselves amid a three-game winning streak.
However, despite his excellent production, many are under the impression that it would still be best for the franchise both in the now and in the long term to offload the power forward and his remaining three years, $82.8 million left on his current deal.
In a December 8 episode of SNY’s “The Putback,” guest and creator of Knicks Fan TV, CP “The Franchise,” echoed this sentiment, as he stated that the Knicks must still be diligent in finding a potential trade suitor for the former All-Star.
“Trade, trade, trade. If they can find a trade for Julius Randle they’ve got to peel it back and trade him,” he said. “Look, he had an outstanding, All-NBA, All-Star caliber night last night [against the Hawks] with 35 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, no turnovers…but we’ve seen these offensive outbursts from Julius Randle, that is not the issue.
Part of the issue is hustle and his lack of attention on defense consistently night in, night out. But that’s not even it. The biggest issue with Julius Randle right now as being the number one guy for the Knicks is it emphasizes how mediocre this team is and how capped they are from a ceiling standpoint in terms of where they can truly compete in the Eastern Conference.
They are number nine in the east, and that is where Julius Randle being the top dog for this team will put them.”
Where does @CPTheFanchise stand on Julius Randle? “Trade, trade, trade…if they can find a trade, they’ve got to peel it back and trade him”
CP and @AshNicoleMoss talk all things Knicks with Ian on The Putback with @IanBegley: t.co/RHeeqDSeHs
Since Randle’s epic 2020-21 campaign where he netted his first All-Star selection, the big man has proven to be wildly inconsistent and, more noteworthy, inefficient despite putting up stellar on-paper statistics.
Though he went on to finish off 2021-22 as one of just three players alongside Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to have matched or exceeded averages of 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, he did so whilst boasting conversion percentages of 41.1% shooting from the floor and 30.8% shooting from distance while the Knicks proved to be better when he was found off the court.
💪 34 PTS | 17 REB | 5 AST | 6 3PM
@J30_RANDLE put a MONSTER double-double on the board in the @nyknicks victory! #NewYorkForever
Over the last nine outings, Randle has been posting phenomenal averages of 25.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 46.4% shooting from the floor and 35.1% shooting from deep and, in turn, is showing flashes of the skillset and production that made him an MVP candidate just two seasons ago.
And while some may believe that New York should simply continue to rely on the big man’s abilities moving forward into this year’s campaign, the analyst believes that now’s as good a time as any to find a suitor to take on his talents via trade.
Randle Infringes on Knicks’ Youth Movement
CP “The Franchise” believes that the Knicks’ focus should shift from trying to recapture the success of 2020-21 to diving into a full fledged youth movement, one that emphasizes development of their current set of young players and the ones that have yet to come.
“The team needs to peel it back and focus on acquiring top-end talent in the NBA Draft,” he said. “The Knicks have to focus on their long-term prospects and they’ve got to peel it back.
“By the way, they spent the number eight pick on an Obi Toppin who, right now, has been relegated to a 3-point specialist. Where is the kid from Dayton who had a much better all around offensive game?”
Since entering the league back in 2020, Toppin has struggled mightily to find a consistent role within Tom Thibodeau’s rotation and has served as a mere low-usage backup to the likes of Julius Randle.
However, the Knicks did not select the 24-year-old in the lottery to simply fill a bench role, and, when he’s received extended run as a starter for the club, he’s only proven capable of excelling, as he holds stellar averages of 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and just shy of a block on 57% shooting from the floor and 43.6% shooting from deep in such a role.
With Randle out of the picture, New York could thrust Toppin into such situations on a far more consistent basis which could be viewed as highly beneficial for the state of the franchise in the long run.
Knicks Big Sounds Off on Analytics
Despite already having established himself as one of the top offensive rebounders in the entire association, Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson believes he should be rewarded with an even greater number of boards in this category than he already boasts.
Following New York’s December 9 bout against the Charlotte Hornets where the fifth-year center pulled down a whopping 7 boards on the offensive side of the floor, he Tweeted his curiosity as to why put-back tip attempts don’t count towards rebounding totals but are counted as shot attempts.
Despite this statistical quagmire, Robinson still serves as one of the most dominant rebounders in the league, and, since returning from his eight-game injury-induced hiatus on November 20, he has brought down the third-most offensive rebounds per game with 4.6 while the Knicks as a whole have ranked second with 13.4 in this same category and rank first in the league in second-chance points during this stretch with 19.5 per game.