The Knicks are in their current position largely due to Julius Randle. Randle helped flip the culture in New York, getting them back to a playoff-caliber team. He was also the main piece in the trade to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota. Now, both the Knicks and Timberwolves find themselves among the final four teams standing. Fans likely look back on Randle's time in New York with fondness, but after his latest comments, it doesn't appear he feels the same.
New York is known as being a difficult sports town to play in at times, as is the case with many big-market teams that have a rabid fan base, such as Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. For Randle, it seems the pressure of the environment may have consumed him at times.
Speaking to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Randle had this to say about life as a star in New York: “It ain’t fun, it ain’t fun. You can’t really focus on the game, you’re focused on everything else other than the game itself. You’re living and dying with every single shot, every single turnover, every single loss. It’s not a fun way to play. It's exhausting."
With New York and Minnesota both in the conference finals, it is hard to view the trade as anything other than a win-win, at least for now. There is still much basketball to be played.
A Randle renaissance
For Randle, his first season for the Timberwolves has been a great success up until now. In the regular season, he averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three. Randle appeared in 69 games for Minnesota, suffering a groin injury that kept him out for roughly a month.
In the playoffs, Randle has excelled, for the most part. Through 14 games, he is averaging 21.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. He has been an ideal scoring option to pair alongside Anthony Edwards, capable of getting his own shot in isolation or posting up and getting a tough bucket when the offense breaks down.
Randle and the Timberwolves face an uphill battle after falling 128-126 in Game 4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, dropping to 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have their own hole to climb out of. They currently trail the Indiana Pacers 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After pulling off a miraculous 20-point comeback in Game 3, New York has new hope for the series and for a shot at the title. And, as Randle knows all too well, the pressure is only mounting from here.