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Former NBA champion Kevin Garnett is impressed with New York Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle, who plays with a similar passion as he did during his 21-year NBA career.
But for Randle to stake the next step, the 15-time All-Star Garnett gave unsolicited advice.
“I think the next step for him, though, is being a solid leader for those guys,” Garnett told Matt Barnes on his Showtime Basketball show KG Certified: Ticket & the Truth. “He got to learn — listen, a lot of times as the best player, you take it in all energy, and you know when you sit down on that bench, and you’re giving out, and everybody’s going sometimes you gotta sit, you gotta take a breath. You got to be the one to be the bigger person in conversations. You got to be more poised.”
Garnett was speaking on experience after he said he lost his former Minnesota teammate Rasho Nesterović to the San Antonio Spurs after the Slovenian center apparently got tired of dealing with his antics.
“I used to actually pride myself on being a decent teammate. When I was younger, I struggled with that. And when Rasho did that, I made it a business to really jump into my yoga, and there would never be another teammate that says I did that,” referring to Nesterovic leaving him for another team.
Randle has begun to meditate this season, helping him get off to a quick start. His 9.1-point first-quarter scoring this season is fourth in the league.
But he was still vulnerable to relapsing, like when he got ejected in a December game against the Sacramento Kings and a heated argument against his teammate Immanuel Quickley last month.
Despite those relapses, Randle had a remarkable turnaround from a disappointing season last year marred by numerous technical fouls, ejections and his run-ins with a team staff and the Knicks fans which led to his infamous thumbs down.
This season, a more subdued Randle led the Knicks in scoring with a career-high 25.1 points and rebounding (10.0) while also dishing out 4.1 assists, the third-best in his career.
“Julius Randle made a climb this year, bro,” Garnett said.
Barnes added Jalen Brunson’s arrival took the pressure off Randle, especially on offense.
Garnett agreed, but he credited Randle for his growth this season.
“He just really developed that three ball,” Garnett said. “He’s really developed that patience.”
Randle hit a career-high 218 3-pointers this season, the second-most in a single season in franchise history. The ankle injury he sustained on March 29 against the Miami Heat robbed him a shot at equaling or surpassing Evan Fournier’s record of 241 3-pointers made he set last season.
Julius Randle On Track to Recovery
Randle made steady progress as he joined the team practice on Tuesday for the first time in two weeks. But he was limited to non-contact drills.
“[Randle] did some, making steady progress, so [we] just take it day-to-day,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “He’s doing some running, shooting, scripting, that sort of thing. He meets with the medical [team] every day, so when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. But he’s made good steady progress. Each day, he’s a little bit better.”
Julius Randle Stars in NBA Playoffs Commercial
Another proof that Julius Randle has taken a significant leap this season is his inclusion in the new NBA Playoffs Commercial.
Randle joined the Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, Defensive Player of the Year favorite Jaren Jackson, Jr. of Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray, Tennis legend John McEnroe and NBA legend Charles Barkley.
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