As the NY Knicks‘ season begins to wind down and teams get ready for the playoffs, the awards talk and All-NBA team predictions we always love debating will start to change from fantasy to analysis. MVP candidates get crossed off the list, Rookies of the Year battle it out over their last few games, and the league crowns its honor roll students by way of All-NBA Teams.
On those teams, you’re likely to see some familiar names; Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, etc. But there’s another player that this exclusive of NBA fraternity hasn’t seen before. He’s not a champion or a rookie of the year or even a multiple-time All-Star, but Julius Randle has proven this season that he not only deserves to make All-NBA, but he has also earned 1st Team honors.
Remember when the Knicks acquired Randle? It was the summer of 2019, the offseason where the hopes of a Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving big three were thrashed and died like a balloon. In this most recent of dark moments for the Knicks, the front office brought in Randle as a consolation prize. Unable to snag an All-Star or #1 pick, Randle was meant to ease the pain of what was sure to be another losing era of New York basketball. Oh, how wrong we were.
Now, two years later, Julius Randle is beating out Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson on the All-NBA ladder. He’s the best player the Knicks have had since Carmelo Anthony, and he’s convinced the entire country to like a New York sports team.
It’s obvious that Randle deserves a general All-NBA team selection. Combine the stats with the team record and the defense, being the ‘new kid on the block’, and the theatrical allure of playing in the Big Apple, Randle has all the credentials going for him. Where things get a little more complicated is when you start comparing and contrasting his case for 1st Team All-NBA. The proclamation that “This guy was one of the two best forwards in the league this year”. It’s much stiffer competition, but here’s why Randle should get it.