The Definitive New York Knicks Roster Breakdown: The Frontcourt

New York Knicks Frontcourt: Julius Randle

The 2021 Most Improved Player has a lot of pressure on him this season.

Julius Randle is the undisputed leader of the Knicks. It was a seemingly overnight transition from being the center of ridicule in 2019-20 to the king of New York in 2020-21.

After a legendary regular season and a disappointing postseason, the expectations for Julius Randle are simple: Perform at the same level but continue to do so in the playoffs.

What We Know:

Julius Randle is one of the more versatile hubs of offense among all frontcourt players in the NBA.

His size, brute strength, and bruising playstyle down-low will make you think he’s more of a big man.

His finesse, shooting, playmaking, and dribble combos will make you think he’s more of a small forward/wing.

That kind of extensive skill set on offense was why he was the focal point of the New York Knicks and will continue to be this season. However, there may be a few added wrinkles to the offense and how it revolves around him.

What To Expect

There are two sides to the coin of whether or not you think Julius Randle will either slightly regress in the stat sheet or have an increased level in production and efficiency.

With the new additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, Randle may be taking fewer shots per game and have also fewer opportunities for playmaking. The main reason the Knicks went out and signed those two was that they lacked players outside of Randle and Derrick Rose who could find their own shot.

On the other hand, the actual decrease in opportunity may be minuscule. Sure, Walker and Fournier will have more opportunities to initiate offense than Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock, but it could actually lead to more open looks and fewer double teams for Randle. He actually has the opportunity to be the beneficiary of playmaking from others.

I do believe there is going to be a slight, slight decrease in per-game numbers for Randle. Maybe the points-per-game go from 24 to 22, the assists from six to five per game, but I’m confident he can maintain close to the same efficiency as last season.

I truly don’t understand all of the “Knicks will regress and I have no evidence” arguments. Has anyone watched guys like RJ Barrett and Julius Randle over the last few years? Have we not seen how much more technically sound, strong, and consistent the improvements to their jump shots have been?

Julius Randle becoming a consistent shooter who can score off the dribble wasn’t a result of COVID 19, it was a result of hard work with the new coaching staff and trainers that came to the team last season.

While we do expect this Knicks team to be more creative on offense, I would still expect plenty of Julius Randle isolations. You have to run a few isolations to your best player at least a few times per game.

Where I can think Randle can improve and take the next step as a franchise player is with his defense and his turnovers on offense.

Randle is still prone to having tunnel vision at times. Can he slow his game down even more? Can he feed off of the calm, clutch attitude of Kemba Walker?

Randle will continue to be near the NBA leaders in minutes per game and be the focal point of the Knicks offense. Now, he has reinforcements and no excuses for the playoffs.