Knicks: 4 Expectations for an improved Julius Randle in 2022-23
By James Nolan
3. Randle needs to be unselfish on the court
Now that Brunson is in town and Barrett is becoming more of a threat offensively, Randle won’t get the ball as much as he used to, but he won’t have the pressure of carrying this team to a victory anymore. In addition, he will be open much more considering the attention that Brunson and Barrett will attract.
The fourth quarter was a major struggle for Randle and the Knicks. They were all gassed toward the end of games and couldn’t find a way to get the ball in the basket. Head coach Tom Thibodeau relied way too much on his All-Star power forward to get buckets late in the game.
New York now has three reliable threats to go to at the end of games with the addition of the former Dallas Maverick. Just because Randle would be playing off ball with the new addition, it doesn’t mean the points won’t come.
Ju with the perfect delivery 📦 pic.twitter.com/VqGXUcOJf5
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 5, 2022
We saw Randle play very well this preseason without being the primary ball handler for the Knicks. This allowed him to focus on other areas of his game such as rebounding, defense, and passing. The points were still coming too.
Randle tallied up 17 assists in 95 total minutes, which equates to 6.6 assists per 36 mins. He also recorded 27 boards, which translates to just over 10 rebounds per 36 mins. And finally, he averaged just over 20 points per 36 mins during the preseason.
Julius shot very well inside the arc as well, going 12/20 total on 2-point attempts. If he is able to get to his spots, then fans will enjoy the production from the former All-Star.
2. Julius needs to knock down his 3 point-shots
The one area where Randle struggled in the preseason was from behind the arc. He shot a lousy 27% from three in his four preseason games. It is still early, but last season, he struggled from behind the arc, shooting 31%.
If threes are able to come consistently from Randle, then New York will be in a good spot. He doesn’t need to shoot a lot of them, but he still needs to be efficient from beyond the three-point line.
"We'll learn how to play off each other…think the biggest thing is we'll be playing fast & a lot of movement…that'll create spacing. We'll all have to sacrifice & create spacing…we've all gotten better at shooting…”
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 27, 2022
– Julius Randle on offense with Jalen Brunson & RJ Barrett pic.twitter.com/8WdJZwjKty
In his All-Star season, he was able to get easy finishes at the rim because defenders were forced to come out and guard him on the arc. When he is knocking down three balls, driving lanes open for Randle.
The space will open up not only just for Randle, but it will also open up lanes for others as well. He needs to be ready to fire off of the drive and kick from Brunson and Barrett. It will open the floor much more for the Knicks, allowing them to generate as many points as possible on offense.