Knicks: Where Does Julius Randle Rank Among NBA’s Best Players?

Would you consider Julius Randle of the Knicks to be elite?

I think it’s fair to say that to be worthy of the title of “elite” among NBA stars, you should have an argument for being one of the league’s top 10 players.

To put it bluntly, Julius Randle is not an elite player.

Now, that is not to say that a player such as Randle can’t be elite in certain areas. For example, Randle is certainly an elite rebounder. He is 11th in rebounds per game at 11.0.

He, along with those other 10 players are the only guys averaging double-digit rebounds, unless you would like to include Jarrett Allen’s 9.9 RPG.

Randle is also definitely an elite inside scorer and mid-range shooter. However, Randle’s great all-around game simply lacks the incredible talent that many guys I would rank ahead of him have.

There are 13 players that I would call elite players (in no particular order); James, Durant, Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Kyrie Irving.

There is simply no argument that Randle is currently better than any of those players. Not only are they all more talented, but they are all players in their prime with incredible resumes to boot.

Randle might be able to put together more great seasons and add some accomplishments that will one day put him in the conversation for the league’s elite, but right now he falls short.