3 Knicks’ moments we can’t wait for as fans return to MSG

Julius Randle’s Knicks Redemption

The Knicks haven’t had an all-star selection since Kristaps Porzingis in 2018, but perhaps no player has ever deserved it more than Julius Randle does this year. If you told me I’d be writing those words at this time last season, I’d have sworn you were lying.

Randle has gone from the bane of a fan’s existence to the reason to tune in for every game. As long as he’s on the court, you’re confident the team is going to win that game.

His stats speak for themselves – 23.1 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, while he shoots almost 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. He’s gone from the team’s liability to their best player – by far.

First-year Knicks’ coach, Tom Thibodeau, has been heaping the praise on his ‘engine’ all season long.

"“He’s our engine,” Thibodeau said. “He plays with a lot of toughness, and there’s a lot of multiple-effort plays that he’s making, but he’s also playing very unselfishly. If you cut and you’re open, he’s going to hit you. He can handle the ball, he’s got very good skills with the ball. I think those guys are very hard to guard, and his shooting has improved. I thought he had some wide-open looks, but he’s shot the three very well this year, so that makes him harder to guard, and he can out-quick you. I think when you put centers on him, he can take them away from the basket and then crack them off the dribble, or if they close short to him, he can shoot the shot. So, he’s doing a lot of things for us really well.”"

Randle didn’t get to hear the elation of the crowd when he was announced as a starter last season, as most of the crowd didn’t even want him in orange and blue. This year, he’ll get the most raucous reaction of anyone.

In his post-game interview following the Knicks’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Randle was asked how excited he was for fans to return. The smile on his face widened as he imagined the orange and blue faithful returning, responding, “[I’m] extremely excited .. it’s been a long time coming .. to get the fans back in here will be amazing.”

From much-maligned to fan favorite, the energy will be palpable as Randle continues his season of redemption.

The Knicks’ leader worked for this all off-season, and that work has shown through this year. The sweetest moment of Randle’s Knicks tenure so far will finally come when fans are there to watch him ball out.