Why The New York Knicks should keep Julius Randle this season

Knicks: Randle’s offseason transformation

After last season was suspended and the Knicks weren’t invited to the bubble, Randle utilized all that free time to improve his game and worked vigorously in his hometown of Dallas. With the help of his long-time trainer, Tyler Relph, Randle would look to better not only his play but himself.

Coming into this season, Randle looks lighter and faster on his feet, which is a credit to all the conditioning work he did in the offseason. Randle is also shooting the basketball at an efficient rate, the best he has throughout his entire career, which shows he looked to come into this season a better player, which he has done.

Randle had to know last season wasn’t his best because not only did the media talk about his play and fit daily, but the fanbase had already seen enough. In the post-game last night against the Atlanta Hawks, Randle knew he had to redeem himself.

He stated, “I just felt like I kind of let the team down last year”. This is admirable to hear because not only is Randle taking accountability for last season, but for Randle to self-evaluate himself isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Randle could’ve easily folded under the pressure of the New York media and fanbase after last season, but he did the exact opposite. He quietly worked on his game and stayed prepared for this season. Now if that isn’t something New Yorkers as a whole can appreciate, well I don’t know what is.