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The New York Knicks are one of the most surprising teams to start the new season, and a big part of that early success is the dominance Julius Randle has shown.
After going through a season-long slump last year following an All-Star appearance, Randle looks like he’s back on the right track through four games, but it is a small sample size.
Randle’s scoring has stayed largely the same this season at 20.3 points per game, up from 20.1 last season, but the main thing to look at is his efficiency.
He shot 41.1 percent from the floor last season, but that’s up to 47 percent this season. Again, it’s just through four games, but if he can keep that type of production up, then things are looking bright for the Knicks.
Randle has even caught the attention of Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes who calls the season by the Knicks forward one of the most surprising storylines of the year so far.
Randle Gaining Fans Again
The Knicks star has had an up and down time in New York with the fans, but his early performance has him winning them over again.
For Randle, the biggest thing is the ball is out of his hands in Brunson’s, so the game is freed up a lot for him. He spent the last two seasons with the Knicks running the show, so this is a big change for him, and it even had an NBA executive believing it could lead to him requesting a trade.
“He could definitely be a guy who looks to request a trade this year,” the exec told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “I don’t think they’re going to be using him the way he is used to being used, not with the wings that they have.”
Hughes says Randle deserves credit for being able to change up his game this late into his career.
“The addition of primary ball-handler Jalen Brunson is a factor here, but most of the credit goes to Randle for meaningfully rewiring his game nine years into his career,” he wrote.
For many players, it can be very hard to change up what you’ve been doing for the majority of your career, so Randle does deserve some credit here. There was a lot of pessimism going into the season about who the forward would be and what version the team was going to get.
“Randle’s ability to fit in is defying one of the more pervasive preseason narratives: The Knicks would rise or fall depending on which version of the lefty forward showed up, the 2020-21 edition or the one from 2021-22,” Hughes wrote. “It turns out there’s a third option, one that doesn’t hinge on whether Randle, the ball-stopping hub, hits shots.”
It’s Still Early
Keep in mind that we’re just four games into the season, and the Knicks do have a tough matchup on October 28 against the Milwaukee Bucks where Randle will match up against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This will be a test for Randle as fans will get a glimpse at him going at an elite talent. He’s just two years removed from being on the All-NBA team, so if Randle has that in his back pocket, perhaps this will his best chance at showing it.
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