All Star Game: 3 Players Who May Beat Out Knicks’ Julius Randle
By Max Hoover
3 Players who may beat out Knicks’ Julius Randle: Bam Adebayo
The name that sits directly above Julius Randle’s name in the weighted vote list for the Eastern Conference frontcourt players is also the name most likely to keep Julius Randle from earning a roster spot in the All-Star Game.
Bam Adebayo had a higher ranking by both fans and other players while the media ranked Julius Randle higher.
The rational NBA fan in me says it is not hard to see why Adebayo gets the respect he does. His averages of 19.8/9.3/5.5 are pretty eerily similar to Randle’s own figures. Adebayo is also shooting it well from both close range and long-distance. He even turns the ball over at around the same rate.
So I hope the rational side of me can forgive the cynical side of me for taking the lead the rest of the way. If Randle and Adebayo have similar numbers while the Knicks have a better record, why would someone select Adebayo over Randle?
Well, it’s the previous year’s success bump, my dear boy!
If Adebayo makes the All-Star Game over Randle it will be thanks largely to last year’s run to the Finals during last season’s bubble. We’ve seen this plenty of times before, where a player who was a key part of a playoff team in the year prior gets more love than a player who is statistically better but is on an up-and-coming team. Adebayo is a really good player, but it will be his team’s reputation that gives him the spot more than his individual play on the court.