Julius Randle is still groping for form following an ankle surgery in the offseason. He committed eight of the New York Knicks‘ 19 turnovers in their uninspiring 96-87 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on October 28.
“It’s easier to think it’s Julius, but everyone has to work together,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said via New York Post. “If the outlets aren’t there, you’re a step behind, you’re a step slow. He needs to have three outlets when he’s being double-teamed. So, that’s something we can do better.”
Randle fared much better against double teams the previous night in Atlanta. The two-time All-Star forward came one assist short of a triple-double in their first victory of the season. Randle finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists against three turnovers versus the Hawks.
“I thought that was his best passing game. … He was phenomenal,” Thibodeau said via New York Post. “And I thought he had the right intentions [Saturday night]. Some of it was, we were a step behind. We were a step slow. So, we gotta make sure we clean that up.”
Against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, Randle experienced a nightmare on the second night of a back-to-back schedule. He only had four assists and scored only 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
“I’ve just gotta continue to get better. I’ve just gotta make shots,” Randle said. “I’ve gotta look at the tape, but I’ve just gotta make shots. They’ll fall.”
Ex-Knicks GM Sheds Light on the Failed Donovan Mitchell Trade
Former Knicks general manager Scott Perry shed light on why they did not go all-in on a Donovan Mitchell trade last year.
“You got to ask yourself if you’re going to [make that kind of trade], the other team that you’re trading with wants to take two-thirds or three-quarters of all your good young talent and all of your draft capital,” Perry said in the Hoop Genius podcast, ” is what is left behind going to be good enough for you to win or be better than what you are or if you just hold on to what you have and be a little patient?
“So that’s the thought process in that, and obviously, we made a push to trade for him, but it was gonna be done within reason,” Perry added.
The Utah Jazz shipped Mitchell instead to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and two pick swaps in 2026 and 2028.
The Knicks went on to beat Mitchell and the Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs last season.
NBA Refs Admits Costly Mistake in Knicks Loss to Celtics
The Knicks 1-2 start could have gone the other way had the NBA officials did not make a costly error in their season-opening loss to the Boston Celtics.
A five-point swing off a Brunson flopping technical foul in the fourth quarter benefited the Celtics. They went on to complete a come-from-behind 108-104 win over the Knicks in their season opener last October 25.
The NBA Referees, through their X (formerly Twitter) account, admitted Brunson should not have been called for the technical foul and instead would have been awarded with three free throws.
“We missed the foot-to-foot contact, which should have resulted in a personal foul and reviewed for flagrant. Had no foot-to-foot contact existed, this type of secondary and theatrical movement by Brunson would meet the criteria for a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul for flopping. It is possible to have a foul and a flop on the same play, but the foot-to-foot contact is what causes Brunson’s movement and no flop should have been called,” the NBA Referees’ X post said.
We missed the foot to foot contact which should have resulted in a personal foul and reviewed for flagrant. Had no foot to foot contact existed, this type of secondary and theatrical movement by Brunson would meet the criteria for a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul for…
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Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau Reacts to Julius Randle’s 8-Turnover Game