NY Knicks: 3 Reasons Why Julius Randle Deserves MVP Votes

NY Knicks forward Julius Randle was named Eastern Conference player of the week on Monday, topping off a huge week for the Knicks, who have now won eight games in a row.  Randle averaged 35.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 6.5 APG.  On the season, Randle is averaging 23.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 6.1 APG on 46.1 / 40.3 / 80.2 shooting. He is a force on both ends of the court, as he’s become a top-tier defender on the best defense in the league. After a brief post-all-star break slump, Braided Randle is back and better than ever.

As the NY Knicks sit as the #4 seed in the East, New York’s star forward’s MVP case must be looked at.

NY Knicks: Julius Randle is getting recognition

Randle is beginning to receive some recognition in the MVP race in the national media.  Kendrick Perkins tweeted that Randle has risen to third in his rankings.  On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons said Randle could fill the fifth spot on his ballot.  He talked about Randles consistency, saying that he’s the only player the Knicks can rely on game after game.  Fox Sports’s Jason Smith went so far as to say that Randle should outright win the award:

"If you take Julius Randle away from the Knicks the Knicks would have won maybe nine games this year. Not that he’s a better player but he is more important to the Knicks than Nikola Jokic is to the Nuggets… Who affects his team’s win total the most? That’s where Julius Randle stands alone."

To call Randle the MVP over Jokic may be a bit of hyperbole, but Smith’s larger point is true.  Randle is as important to the Knicks as any other star is to his team.  In any discussion of the most valuable players this season, he must be in the conversation.  Here’s why.

NY Knicks: Julius Randle has been as durable as any player in the league

The shortened NBA season has complicated the MVP race. Player after player has gone down with injuries. Whether it’d be from the condensed schedule, the truncated offseason, or a little bit of both, every team has played shorthanded this season. The NY Times’ Marc Stein wrote about this phenomenon last week, saying that “

"“Multiple teams I’ve consulted asserted that this season’s combination of schedule density, travel demands and daily coronavirus testing that cuts into players’ rest time have increased injury risk.”"

Staying healthy and playing night in and night out is no small feat this season, and Julius Randle is in selective company in that regard.

You could name an all-star team of players who’ve missed time this season. Most notably, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antentokumpo, Steph Curry have all been out for one injury or another.

Randle has missed one game with a right thigh contusion.  He’s played every other game this season, leading the league in minutes with 2131, averaging 37.4 per game. Only Jokic’s durability rivals Randle’s as Jokic ranks second with 2017 minutes with an average of 35.4. (RJ Barrett has played the third-most minutes this season with 1978, FYI). Jokic and Randle are the only players in the league who’ve played 58 games and average 35.4 minutes per game.

Randle’s already impressive numbers are even more awe-inspiring when you take into account the lack of load management he’s had this season. He shows no sign of slowing down, as the Knicks will jockey for the 4th seed and need every win they can get.

Julius Randle does everything for the NY Knicks

Randle does everything for the Knicks.  As Statmuse points out, Randle is on pace to be one of three players in NBA history to average 20 PPG, 10 RPG, and 5 APG while shooting 40% from three, (Jokic this season, and Larry Bird).

He leads the Knicks in points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers made, free throws made, and steals. Randle is a big who is quick enough to guard a forward and strong enough to guard a center, all while frequently running point for the Knicks. While he hasn’t seen much time at the five (as I wrote last week), he’d be more than capable of handling it. He’s played off the ball as a spot-up shooter and played plenty of iso ball. You can get a different version of Randle on a given night – all lethal.

ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus has Randle as the best defensive Power Forward in the league with 2.91. Joel Embiid sits behind him at 2.46, while Nikola Jokic has a -0.39.  Coach Tom Thibodeau summed it up pretty well after his team put up 30 against the Utah Jazz:

"“He’s our engine… 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.”"

"“And then defensively, the rebounding, multiple effort, we’re asking him to play backup center right now also, so he’s doing everything. Playing big minutes, comes in the next day and works, takes care of his body, great with recovery, great in the film sessions, and it’s the type of leadership that’s invaluable to a team.”"

It’s hard to find a player whose team asks him to do as much as Julius Randle.

Without Julius Randle, the NY Knicks wouldn’t be in contention

The NY Knicks are going to make the playoffs. If Julius Randle was not on the Knicks, they would not be in contention. It’s as simple as that. This isn’t to degrade the rest of the roster, but to praise illustrate how Randle has embodied the spirit of the award.

I hesitate to fully endorse Jason Smith’s implication that Jokic isn’t as important to the Nuggets as Randle is to the Knicks. However, the idea is correct that Jokic, even with Jamal Murray sidelined, certainly has more help. Save for Steph Curry, I’d say that every other superstar in the league has more help and more margin for error than Julius Randle.

The Knicks were projected to win 22 games at the beginning of the season. They’ve now won 37 and may finish closer to the one seed than the eighth seed.

At the very least,  Randle is a shoe-in for Most Improved Player.   Last season, Randle averaged 19.5 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 3.1 APG while shooting a measly 28% from behind the arc. He was the subject of trade rumors and ire from Knicks fans – a representation of what looked like a failed offseason and a bad contract. Now he is the present and the future of winning basketball in New York.

Expect Jokic to win the award, and deservedly so.  But as stars keep finding themselves in street clothes as the season winds down, Randle continues to play night in and night out unscathed and unleashed. Some fourth and fifth place votes?  Sure.  Second and third place votes?  Now we’re talking.