New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks: 3 player matchups to watch

New York Knicks: Julius Randle vs John Collins

The New York Knicks’ unexpected success this season has greatly to do with Julius Randle’s rise to stardom.

Since the beginning of this season, Randle has taken tremendous strides both offensively and defensively and led his Knicks team back to relevancy once again.

The common factor between the majority of the opponents that the Knicks have played is their inability to slow down the Knicks star, as it seems not many teams have an answer for his flat-out dominance.

While Randle has always had the ability to score, he has really polished his overall game by becoming an elite defender and playmaker, while also leading the team in rebounding.

In this matchup, Randle has proven all year long to have his way with the Hawks, particularly when being guarded by John Collins.

John Collins has been very important to the Hawks’ success on offense but has struggled on defense, especially against stars such as Randle.

When being guarded by John Collins this season, Randle has averaged an astounding 37.3 points per game to go with 12.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per StatMuse.

Randle has had superstar caliber numbers all season regardless of his opponent but has put up even more impressive numbers when playing against the Hawks.

John Collins has been a very crucial piece to this Hawks team’s success but will need to do a better job of defending Randle if they want a chance at advancing in the postseason.

The New York Knicks have a very good team but have shown that they will go as far as Julius Randle will take them.