Getty Julius Randle is under fire yet again.
The New York Knicks now find themselves under .500 after getting off to a hot start, and fans are laser-focused on Julius Randle’s recent play.
There was a point where fans were apologizing to Randle this season because of how well he was playing, and now those tables have turned. As it turns out, when things are going good fans are happy, and when things are bad, the fans feel the same.
We’re just seven games into the season, but fans are calling for a change and it all centers around Randle. Some want to see Obi Toppin replace him in the lineup while others just want him off the team.
Moving Randle will be easier said than done considering his extension kicked in this year that sees his salary skyrocket. Obviously, that’s not anything the fans have to worry about when they fire off their takes, and that’s just what they did.
Fans Sounds Off on Randle
RJ Barrett and Julius Randle cannot exist on the same team together. We’ve known this for 3 years now. Please move Randle for literally anything.
Randle was expected to have the ball in his hands less now that Jalen Brunson is in town, but the results have been very mixed so far.
Building off that, there are fans who think Randle and RJ Barrett don’t play well together and one of them has to be moved. Between the two, Randle would likely be the choice.
“RJ Barrett and Julius Randle cannot exist on the same team together,” one fan said. “We’ve known this for 3 years now. Please move Randle for literally anything.”
Coming into the season, an NBA executive speaking to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney said Randle could request a trade at some point this season due to his role, and these fans that want him gone would certainly love to see that.
“He could definitely be a guy who looks to request a trade this year,” the exec said. “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.”
Many of the fans have an issue with Randle bringing the ball up and playmaking, something that shouldn’t be happening a ton with Brunson as the point guard.
“Julius Randle handling the basketball at any point in the game isn’t the best idea when you have Derrick Rose or Jalen Brunson on the floor,” wrote Twitter account Big Knick Energy.
Randle is Struggling Again
After looking very good to start the year, Randle has watched his field goal percentage drop to 42.6 percent on the year. Considering we’re only seven games into the year, this number can jump around a lot, so perhaps too much stock shouldn’t be put into it right now.
Randle is a good playmaking big man, but fans want to see Brunson running the offense, and that could be something that helps out the forward.
When the Knicks were off to their hot start, a lot of it came down to Brunson making plays for the team and not turning the ball over. It can take time to get things changed around, especially when you used to one thing for a while, but it seems like that’ll have to happen with Randle.