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It might be the preseason, but there are people out there who put a lot of stock into these games, and it’s looking like we can count New York Knicks star Julius Randle’s son as one of those people.
The Knicks ended up dropping the third preseason game to the Indiana Pacers, and while these games are meant for players to get into game shape and perhaps show off some new moves, Randle’s son took it hard.
A video of him went viral that was recorded in the closing minutes of the game after it looked like the game was out of reach for New York. Posted by Randle’s wife Kendra, the TikTok shows their son Kayden crying and saying the team has no chance at a comeback.
All in all, the Knicks had a successful preseason and there were a lot of positive takeaways. One thing that fans were looking at is how Jalen Brunson would fit in with the team and run the show. The results are very promising, and there’s a lot to be excited for there.
Even Randle looks like he’s doing better efficiency wise, and if that’s the case, then the Knicks have a recipe for success.
RJ Barrett Looks Much Improved
Although he averaged 20 points per game in his third season, Barrett’s shooting efficiency took a hit as he shot around 40 percent per game. It’s just a small sample size of three games, but he has bumped up his shooting to almost 50 percent per game while keeping the scoring largely the same.
If he can keep that up, an All-Star berth might not be too far away for him. He signed a contract extension before the season began so he should be free from any and all distractions, and playing alongside Brunson should open the game up a bit for him.
Bounce Back Year for Randle?
As for Randle, his play will be examined a lot this season as he’s a key piece of the team that was a large part of their success two seasons ago, and a large part of their struggle last year.
He should also be somebody who benefits by having Brunson in town because the ball will be out of his hands more often and he’ll be able to get clearer looks at the basket.
It will be a change for him because he was one of the main catalysts of the offense since he’s been here, but he believes in what coach Tom Thibodeau is preaching.
“I’m just bought in on what coach is doing, how he’s trying to play,” he said. “I’m just trying to be a leader, establish pace of play, unselfishness for our team, because I feel like we’re at our best when we play like that”
Despite the lower efficiency last season, he did manage to put up 20/10/5, and if he slides into the third option with Brunson now, those numbers might drop a bit but his efficiency should rise. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out for the Knicks next season.
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