Yesterday was an interesting day for this New York Knicks and Julius Randle. For any who has not seen it yet, there was a lot of Julius Randle content. And I mean, A LOT. If you missed out, look at the Knicks main Twitter account ASAP. Here are a few posts (I would post more, but it would take up the entire page):
For anyone wondering why there is a flurry of Randle activity, it’s most likely due to Marc Berman’s recent article.
Marc Berman of the New York Post has been writing about each and every Knicks players. A series if you will. And yesterday he released a less than kind article about Randle’s team play.
Berman’s piece had this to say about the sixth-year power forward:
“Nevertheless, some Knicks, including rookie RJ Barrett, were frustrated by Randle’s penchant for not distributing the ball quickly enough and overdribbling, according to two sources familiar with the situation.”
Marc Berman
Berman would then go on to mention that Elfrid Payton (Randle’s BFF) was the only one without issue with Randle’s play (shocker).
Now, for anyone who has watched the Knicks this season, you don’t need analytics to see that Randle makes some terrible decisions. Does this mean he is a terrible basketball player? No. Does it mean that he is playing out of his role? Absolutely.
The Knicks have tried to make Randle, the number one option, or “the guy,” and it’s clear he is not meant for the leading role.
I myself thought that he would be ready, based on his numbers from previous seasons. But I, as probably some of you, focused on the stats that compared him to players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James and lost focus of the fit he actually has in the Knicks system.
We thought that we were getting a bargain (and we may still be getting that bargain), but the numbers played us. This is where the balance between statistics and the eye test comes in. It’s like when the Knicks had Derrick Rose on the team. It’s nice that he was averaged 18 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebound, but the eye test showed that they were empty numbers because it didn’t lead to victories.
But getting back to Randle. The Knicks Twitter account seems to be making a PR move by posting all this Randle content to combat the negativity. The team could be looking to support their big free agent signing by showing him that they have faith. Or, maybe the Knicks are unsure if Randle will be on the team next season, so they might as well demonstrate to potential free agents that they support their players. One could look at this as a good move by the Knicks for protecting their players. Others will roll their eyes and ask, “why does Randle have to be on this team?!”
Personally, I find it funny that the Knicks pumped out so much content in one day trying to change the narrative on Randle.
Randle is a frustrating player. But he doesn’t suck. He is out of his role, placed in a position where he isn’t succeeding. Maybe he can develop into that role. But the more likely option is that he becomes a 3rd or 4th option on a team. Whether it is with the Knicks or somewhere else.
Knicks For Life 