Knicks Rumors: Chasson Randle Garnering Interest Around The NBA

Chasson Randle has looked impressive in his short stint with the Westchester Knicks. Is Randle on the verge of receiving a call-up?

During the 2016 NBA preseason, Chasson Randle was on track to make the New York Knicks’ main roster. Things changed soon after. Randle suffered a left orbital fracture and missed the final three preseason games.

When the preseason concluded, he was a part of the final roster cuts.

While it was a tough decision to waive Randle, Jeff Hornacek hoped the Stanford product would remain with the organization. (h/t Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com)

"“Well, we liked those guys we had to waive,” Hornacek said Saturday. “It’s a tough thing to do. All these guys are capable players. We have to look at our roster and see the different balance that we have. Chasson, he’s done a great job for us. We hope all these guys get other jobs and other teams pick them up, but our hope is if he doesn’t go to another team he stays with our organization. We really liked what he did for us.“"

In a recent stretch of games, Randle has caught the attention of the masses all over again. Coming off of a three-game losing streak, the Westchester guard led the Knicks to a huge victory over the Texas Legends.

In the process, he dropped 38 points on 9-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The 38 points was the second most points scored in a single game by a Westchester Knick.

Along with that, the 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point range was a team record.

The following night, he continued to be efficient from deep. Randle almost mirrored his production from the previous game by totaling 36 points on 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. In addition, Randle recorded five assists and four rebounds.

The 6’2″ guard has displayed nice moves as he finds his way to the basket. In the game against the Los Angeles D-Fenders, he penetrated through the lane and finished with his left-hand for the bucket.

As he expressed at media day, Randle is viewing his D-League stint as an opportunity to develop on both ends of the floor.

"“Right now I think I’m a pretty good scorer. I want to make sure that I work on all facets of the game—offensively and defensively. Getting stronger, finishing at the rim. Something I definitely want to work on,” Chasson Randle said at media day. “Defensively, getting over screens things like that. We’ve talked—me and Allan [Houston] and some of the coaches—about things we’re going to do moving forward to help me develop.”"

When Randle is playing alongside Jordon Crawford or Kevin Capers, it allows him to play off the ball more and become more of a scorer. Outside of his strong shooting outings, Randle has shown he can handle the ball in the half court and help run the offense.

He’s only averaging 3.5 assists per game on the season, but he’s totaled 5.0 assists per game over the past three games, which includes his seven-assist outing against the D-Fenders.

Randle was named the NBA D-League Performer of the Week on Dec. 19. He became the second Westchester Knick to earn that honor. Two days later, Randle cracked the D-League Prospect Watch.

The list ranked him at No. 25.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks have shown interest in Chasson Randle. He can sign with any team, including the 76ers and Mavericks, but those two teams currently have 15 players on their roster and would need to cut a player to make room for him.

Will the New York attempt to reinforce the point guard position by bringing in the Westchester guard?

The interest for Chasson Randle is evident. In order for the New York Knicks to bring in Randle, the Knicks would need to cut a player, presumably Maurice Ndour or Marshall Plumlee.

If the Knicks decide to add more depth at the guard position, the team couldn’t go wrong with Randle.

Must Read: Jordon Crawford: Small Stature, Huge Dreams

Jan. 5 is the first day 10-day contracts can be signed. If Randle isn’t signed by a team by Jan. 18—the start of the NBA D-League Showcase—he’ll have a great opportunity to prove that he deserves a roster spot with a club.

At the NBA D-League Showcase, Randle would have an opportunity to display his skills in front of team presidents, executives, and scouts in the two Knicks games during the event.