Julius Randle has elevated his game in year two with the New York Knicks. With 2021 All-Star voting underway, Randle has proved why he should be selected.
The New York Knicks have turned some heads through the first quarter of the 2021 NBA Season. At 8-11, they are on pace for their best 20 game start since 2017-18.
Perhaps the biggest reason for this surprising start has been the play of Julius Randle. The big man was a key free-agent signing in the summer of 2019 but had an underwhelming first year in New York. Now it’s just the opposite. Randle’s play has seemingly jumped in almost every category, which in turn has helped the Knicks in the winning column.
According to basketball-reference, Randle is averaging career-highs across the board with 22.5 points per game, 11.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. He’s also on pace to match his career average in steals, meaning his offensive improvements haven’t taken away from the defensive side of the ball.
But with this New York Knicks team, which is currently first in the NBA in points allowed per game, Randle’s role isn’t to become another lockdown defender. The Knicks already have plenty of those and within coach Tom Thibodeau’s system; Randle will have to bring it on the defensive end anyways.
Rather, Julius Randle has to be the scorer New York signed him to be. But now, he’s turned into a triple-double threat, adding ‘playmaker’ to his resume among other qualities.
And on January 27, the NBA announced All-Star voting would start on January 28 and run through February 16. Julius Randle could become the first New York Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony in 2017. Randle’s done more than enough to prove why he’s worthy of his first career All-Star game.
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.
2) Randle is one of four players averaging at least 20/10/5
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Julius Randle, and Domantas Sabonis. Those are the only players in the NBA currently averaging at least 20 points per game, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Throw in Luka Doncic at 27.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 9.7 APG and Bam Adebayo at 20.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 5.6 APG if you want. And make an exception for James Harden, who’s averaging an insane 24.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 11.1 APG.
But either way you write it, Julius Randle is in unique company with those names. Interestingly enough, all of those players except for Randle have made an NBA All-Star game. While I’m not a mathematician, those numbers lead me to believe that the New York Knicks may have a good chance at getting an All-Star selection this season.
But even more impressive, is that of the four players averaging those numbers, Randle is second in rebounds, second in assists, and third in points. He isn’t just sneaking in the category but is safely in with all of his numbers.
If Randle finishes the season with those averages, he may even draw looks for the All-NBA Third Team, but for now, I’m sure he’d settle for an All-Star nod.
3) Randle is counted on to do the most but isn’t overdoing it
This might sound like opposite ends of the spectrum, but hear me out. Julius Randle leads the NBA with 697 minutes played. His teammate, R.J Barrett is right behind in second place with 692 minutes played.
Yet even though Randle is barely taken off the court, he doesn’t overdo it. With those types of minutes, Randle could probably shoot 20 times a game and no one would blink an eye. Yet he doesn’t do that, instead, looking to get teammates involved. And while his turnovers are a career-high, he seems to have had improvements, with only two games of four or more turnovers across his last 11 games, compared to six out of his first eight games coughing up the ball four-plus times.
The Knicks rank near the bottom in the NBA in FG% and 3-point% but think of how bad it could be if Randle wasn’t creating open shots from the forward position. He’s at least added another depth of offensive playmaking for the New York Knicks, which in turn forces opponents to at least take the Knicks’ offense a bit more seriously.
New York Knicks fans are encouraged to vote for Randle, which can be done on NBA.com or on Twitter. The 2021 NBA All-Star Game is set for February 14 in Indianapolis.