NY Knicks: Can Julius Randle make an All-NBA Team?

As The NY Knicks continue to battle for playoff positioning in The Eastern Conference, fighting through some alarming lows and exhilarating highs, one thing has remained constant: The elite play of Julius Randle. Randle has consistently stuffed the stat sheet and remained efficient shooting the ball, and it led to him being named to his first NBA All-Star game.

Randle has taken on full responsibility as The NY Knicks’ leader, and he’s lifted a team that was one of the worst in the NBA last season to becoming a strong contender to make the playoffs.  The Knicks currently sit at 7th place in The Eastern Conference.

Julius Randle has transformed The NY Knicks

Randle has taken on a burden that not many players in the league can handle: Being the leader of The New York Knicks. So far, he’s passed with flying colors. Fans have been yearning for the type of play that Randle has brought to New York. He’s physical, unselfish, and does not back down from anyone. The Knicks may have to play a healthy Brooklyn Nets’ big 3 on Monday. Randle’s Response?

Randle’s leadership off the court and play on the court have him as a potential All-NBA candidate. He will have some stiff competition, so let’s see where Randle stacks up in the race.

NY Knicks: The All-NBA race will be tight

While Randle’s season has been nothing short of spectacular, there are some other forwards who we know for a fact will finish ahead of him in the All-NBA race. Let’s start with the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo has once again put together a herculean season for The Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks may not have a stronghold around the #1 seed as they did last year, but they’re firmly in the top-3 in The East. Antetoukounmpo has once again been at the center of The Bucks’ success, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists, all while dominating on the defensive end. He is 2nd in the NBA in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) behind only Nikola Jokic. He is a lock.

Then there’s a player named LeBron James. Now, with LeBron James, there are some question marks. James suffered a high-ankle sprain that could keep him sidelined for another few weeks. It’s unfamiliar territory for someone who has been an Iron man throughout his career.

Still, even with the injury, there is no world where LeBron does not get voted onto the All-NBA team. His play has once again been dominant, and he’s the face of the NBA. LeBron’s teammate, Anthony Davis is a question mark for this as well. Davis was voted All-NBA as a center last season despite him playing more minutes as a power forward, so the league could very well do the same thing again in 2021.

After LeBron James, you have to figure Kawhi Leonard is a lock for All-NBA as well. The Clippers are 3rd in The Western Conference and Kawhi Leonard has once again been the commanding 2-way player he’s been for his entire career. Leonard, like James and Antetounkmpo, is a surefire bet to make an All-NBA team.

So now that the obvious is out of the way: Antetokounmpo, James, and Leonard being locks over Randle, how does he fare to other forwards in the NBA? Between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams, there are 6 available spots, and we’ve covered 3 of them. Let’s look at the rest.

NY Knicks: Will Julius Randle beat out Kevin Durant?

Now I want to make this clear right off the bat – If Kevin Durant hadn’t missed so much time, this wouldn’t even be a discussion. In fact, if Durant comes back this week and doesn’t miss any more games, I think he would be deserving of All-NBA 1st Team. Durant has always been in the discussion for best player in the entire league, and he hasn’t missed a beat since returning from his ACL tear.

With the Nets, Durant has posted an absurd 29 points per game on 52.4% from the field, 43.4% from 3, and 86.9% from the line. The problem is, Durant doesn’t even show up on a lot of ESPN and basketball reference leaderboards because he isn’t eligible – He’s only played 19 games thus far this season. Now, there are reports that Durant may actually return to action when The NY Knicks take on the Nets tomorrow night. Hypothetically, if Durant was to play every game for the rest of the season, he would have played in 41/72 possible games. I don’t think he will play in every game for the rest of the year — Will he have played enough to be considered?

This isn’t to say Randle is the player Durant is, cause he’s not. At the end of the day, you have to play more than half of the season to be considered for end-of-the-season awards, and Randle’s durability could very well see him surpass Durant.

NY Knicks: Julius Randle vs. Jimmy Butler

This is close, but when it’s all said and done, I believe Jimmy Butler is more of a lock than Julius Randle to make an All-NBA team. It will be close, but it’s easy to see The Miami Heat and Butler continuing to pick up steam in the latter half of the season. They’ve had The Knicks number all year, and Butler’s prowess on both ends of the court is certainly deserving of an All-NBA selection.

Butler’s big-name recognition along with his strong play should see him make it. So now there are 4/5 (5 If you think Durant will be eligible despite playing half of a season) possible forward spots filled. Let’s take a look at Julius Randle’s remaining competition.

NY Knicks: Julius Randle is All-NBA 3rd Team Material

It’s a tight competition for the last forward spot on the All-NBA teams, but looking at all of the numbers, narratives, metrics, and standings, Julius Randle just might have an edge over his competition. Let’s start with one of the strongest competitors, Jayson Tatum.

Coming into this season, Randle was seen as more of a complementary player, while Tatum has been a rising star since coming to the league. Now? The playing field is level.

By just about every all-encompassing metric possible, Randle’s impact has been slightly higher than Tatum’s. Randle is higher both in VORP, Box +/-, and PIE (Player impact estimate). It’s not just the individual play, but The Celtics haven’t been able to play winning basketball this season.

There is a myriad of reasons for the Celtics’ unexpected shortcomings, and while Tatum is certainly far from being the problem, Randle has been the focal point of a team with a completely different narrative – A team exceeding expectations. Randle has very much been The NY Knicks’ main playmaker all season long – He’s played exceptional team basketball. Ultimately, the numbers don’t lie, Randle deserves an All-NBA spot over Tatum, and he deserves it over some other competitors as well.

Paul George is certainly a competitor for a forward spot. The problem with his case is that he’s been 2nd fiddle to Kawhi Leonard. For as good as George is, I’m not sure you can make an argument for someone whose numbers are lower across the board to beat out Julius Randle.

Domantas Sabonis? He’s having a fantastic year, but again, is simply just a notch below Randle in most categories. There are zero arguments to putting Domantas Sabonis over Julius Randle. Zion Willamson? He doesn’t have the same overall impact on the game that Randle does.

At the end of the day, the only thing stopping Randle from making an All-NBA team this year is injury and position-related nuances to the voting. Will Durant make it despite playing half of a season? Will they move Davis to a forward spot instead of center? Outside of those players, Giannis Antetounkmpo, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, and Kawhi Leonard are the only surefire bets to make the teams over Randle. It’s going to be close, but Julius Randle really might be the first Knicks to make an All-NBA team since Carmelo Anthony.