New York Knicks: 3 Reasons why Julius Randle should be an All-Star

1) Randle’s efficiency is near the top in the NBA

While Randle may only be 27th in the NBA in points per game, his numbers are quietly very efficient. Randle has improved his field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage by small amounts and has vastly gotten better with his three-point shot and free throw percentage, with the latter going up nearly 10% from last season.

This means more than the numbers may show. Randle was never the go-to option in Los Angeles or New Orleans, meaning last season was his first time being the number one guy. That’s also challenging considering last year was his third team in three years, meaning that Randle was placed into a brand new role, with a brand new team, in the toughest place to play for.

This year, it’s clear to see he’s made strides with those numbers. While it’s nothing to write home about, the sheer fact that his efficiency has gone up in nearly every category is worth noting.

All but four of the 26 players ahead of Randle in points per game average are attempting fewer shots than him per game. In other words, if Randle was taking one or two more shots each game, he’d be inside the top 15 and pushing the top 10 in points.

For what it’s worth, he does attempt nearly seven free throws per game, which is better than half of the guys above him. But even then, when Joel Embiid and Trae Young are averaging over 10 free throw attempts per game, there still seems to be room for Randle’s numbers to get even better.