New York Knicks: Chasson Randle Excelling With The Dub Knicks
Since before the start of the 2016-17 season, Chasson Randle has been on a mission. He signed with the New York Knicks for the Summer League and performed well enough to earn a contract for the preseason. His performance during the preseason had him on track to make the Knicks’ roster, but an unfortunate injury prevented that from happening.
While the injury was a negative for the Westchester guard, he has benefited from staying in the New York Knicks organization.
“I thought it would be a good place for me to start,” Chasson Randle said. “I’m familiar with the organization. I’m familiar with the coaching staff, so it was something that I felt like [that] could help.”
Mike Miller, the head coach of the Westchester Knicks, coached the Knicks during the Summer League.
After suffering a left orbital fracture in the preseason, Randle wore a face mask to start the season. Before he could log his first minute in a Westchester Knick uniform, The New York Post reported the New York Knicks were set to call-up the Stanford product once he’s back in shape.
Randle has been playing without the face mask for a few weeks now. Without the mask, he had a recent stretch of games where he scored 36-plus points.
Even with the reports about the New York Knicks possibly calling him up, Randle has been focusing on one thing: playing basketball in Westchester.
“I’m here in Westchester, so I got to focus on playing basketball here with my teammates here,” Randle said. “Just enjoying it and getting better and taking advantage everyday.”
Randle, a player who was set to make the main roster, was now starting at point guard in Newark, DE against the 87ers. He’s proven capable of attacking the rim and scoring in bunches.
While Randle is a volume shooter, he’s helped lead the Knicks to being one of the top offenses in the NBA D-League.
The 6’2″ guard showed that he could lead the offense. On opening night, he totaled 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, along with four rebounds.
Randle is one of many talented guards on the roster. When he plays alongside Jordon Crawford, it allows Randle to spend more time off the ball and become more of a scorer. Randle has displayed that he can be explosive and can get to the rim with ease.
Crawford has the speed to get to rim and utilizes his agility in transition. When both Randle and Crawford share the court, they can create good looks for their teammates, especially from 3-point range.
The Randle-Crawford duo has worked well so far. Both help take a load off the other and have become a top backcourt in the NBA D-League.
“It’s awesome. Just to be able to have guards like that who can shoot the basketball, who can make plays cause it frees me up a little bit on the offensive end,” Randle said. “You know it kind of gives me a little bit of a cushion to kind of play off the ball too.”
Last season, the Knicks weren’t known for the offense. The heavy guard roster led by Randle has turned that around, as the Knicks are in the top of the league in points per game (7th) and 3-point percentage (1st).
The team has greatly benefited when Randle has been on the court. In the week leading up to being named Performer of the Week, he was shooting lights out. In a three-game span, the Knicks guard shot 19-of-28 (67.8 percent).
e’s been maintaining his efficiency ever since his 38-point game against the Texas Legends.
Must Read: Westchester Wire: Strong Offense Leading To Victories
In November of 2016, New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said the Knicks were “not going to bring him up unless someone has an injury.”
While Derrick Rose has dealt with back spasms, he has only missed four games. Chasson Randle has been shinning with the Westchester Knicks thus far and has warranted an opportunity from a team once the 10-day contract period starts.