Knicks’ Julius Randles Opens Up on Minutes Distribution Following Win Over Celtics

Julius Randle, New York Knicks

Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks reacts against the Atlanta Hawks.

The New York Knicks have now rattled off nine straight wins with their triumph over their Atlantic Division rival, the Boston Celtics Sunday evening.

As has been the case all season long, All-Star big man Julius Randle played a pivotal role in the club’s latest victory, as he finished the night with a stellar stat-line of 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal on 50.0% shooting from the floor and 38.5% shooting from deep in a whopping 46 minutes played in the double-overtime affair.

With this outing, Randle’s minute-per-game averages have jumped up to an astonishing 36.0, placing him within the top-15 in the association in said category.

When discussing his high-end playing time with the media following New York’s win over Boston, the Knicks forward opened up about how he believes he’s been able to stay “so fresh” through 66 games played.

“I think it’s my mental before anything. You know, a lot of work goes into that every day to make sure I’m mentally refreshed, (that I’m) coming in with a positive attitude, just feeling good about myself and what’s going on. And then I put a lot of work into my body, you know, every day, days in between games, to make sure that I’m doing things and taking necessary steps and checking things off my list to make sure every day, every game I’m coming in (and) I’m feeling good,” Randle said.

Randle would continue by crediting “meditation, prayer, sleep” and spending time with his kids as ways in which he “refreshes” himself.

The 28-year-old is producing at all-time highs virtually all across the board this season, as he’s posting tremendous averages of 25.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 46.8% shooting from the floor and 35.5% shooting from distance whilst sporting his best box plus-minus of his professional tenure of 4.6.


Knicks Guard Shines in Spot Start

In the team’s latest outing against the Celtics, third-year guard Immanuel Quickley had himself a career-best performance while filling in for the injured Jalen Brunson as the team’s starting point guard.

Finishing with a game-high 55 minutes, the 23-year-old paved the way for the Knicks in just his 11 appearance in the first-five lineup this year, posting an astonishing 38 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals on 53.6% shooting from the field and 38.5% shooting from distance.

Since the beginning of December, Quickley has been on an absolute tear, as he has been posting stellar per-game averages of 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 47.3% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from distance during this span.

With his efforts, SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley has suggested that the combo guard could prove to be a legitimate threat to take home the 2023 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award come season’s end and, following his latest outburst, his odds of winning such honors have risen meteorically.


Knicks Have ‘Worst Fans in Sports History’

In a recent episode of “Gils’ Arena,” when asked what his thoughts are of the Knicks possibly winning their first playoff series since 2013 this season, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas couldn’t help but take a shot at New York’s entire fanbase, claiming that while he believes in the team, he thinks the team’s faithful followers could ultimately have a negative impact on their psyche.

“I trust the Knicks, I don’t trust the Garden,” Arenas said. “I’ve never trusted the Garden because the Garden hates their Knicks players if they’re performing badly or if they’re not performing at the level that they are delusional with…When they get to booing five minutes into the game because the game is zero to four, and then favor the road team and then they’re going to cheer for the road star, I do not trust them in the playoffs…They’re just the worst fans in sports history.”

Adding more fuel to the proverbial fire, Arenas would jokingly add that Knicks owner James Dolan should install the artificial crowd sound system that was used in the Lake Buena Vista bubble during the COVID-19-ravaged 2020 postseason to “keep it positive” in Madison Square Garden.