Honorable mention winners: Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle
RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson were New York’s two biggest preseason stars, but it wouldn’t be fair to not acknowledge Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle’s performances too.
Robinson capped off the preseason with a 20-point, 12-rebound performance against the Wizards. Tom Thibodeau called him the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, which is a reason why the Knicks re-signed him to a four-year, $60 million deal in free agency. His presence down low will be especially crucial to New York this season, and when he’s out of the game, he has two solid back-ups in Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims.
Then, there’s Julius Randle, who’s coming off a rather disappointing season.
Julius Randle looks like a new player for the Knicks after a down season
Randle’s role this season will be significantly different than the one that he played in 2021-22. There isn’t a need for him to operate will the ball in his hands with both Barrett and Brunson in the lineup.
In the preseason, Randle looked like a new player. Instead of forcing shot after shot, he found his teammates for open (and better) looks. In four games, he recorded 17 assists and only four turnovers.
His best outing of the preseason came last Wednesday against Indiana when he posted 13 points (5-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-6 from three), eight rebounds, and five assists in 25 minutes. It was the best that Randle has looked in a long, long time. Of course, it’s only the preseason, but based on how Randle looked, he could be in for a surprising regular season (in a good way).