He owes his employers a minimal amount of effort for that sizable sum.
He's "earning" approximately $247,500 per game this season. This is a player who inked a four-year, $117 million contract extension last summer. Randle should be ashamed of his performance.
However, this afternoon I went back and watched the entire fourth quarter and, frankly, it was stunning. One play in particular from Friday's loss to the Bucks, in which Randle turned his back on a teammate who had fallen to the floor, has been making the rounds on social media today. It's been the stunning lack of effort and intensity Randle has consistently carried to the court this season that has been so bewildering. Even most diehards assumed his career-high shooting percentages would come back down to earth.
#Julius randle age full
(It's the first time Randle has averaged fewer than 14 points while shooting below 40% from the floor and 25% from downtown over a five-game span since his first full season in the NBA, back in 2015-16, when he was a member of the Lakers).Īnd, as I've pointed out frequently in this space, it's not just Randle's regression on the offensive end that has enraged Knicks fans. Over the NY's last five games, he's averaging 13.2 points and as many turnovers (4.4) as assists (4.4) while shooting 38.7% from the floor, 25% from deep and 68.4% from the charity stripe. I noted how Julius Randle once again struggled. Julius started Game 2 in much the same way he performed all of Game 1 - too reliant on isolation, settling for extremely difficult midrange jumpers.Thibs Needs To Send A Strong Message By Benching Julius RandleĮarlier this morning, I wrote about the Knicks' loss to the Bucks. What changed? Well, he started playing more like Toppin - constantly in motion, rapid in his decisions, and letting his stellar defense propel his offense. For two playoff games, Julius Randle has been the one resembling a lottery bust, struggling mightily with the increase in defensive focus and intensity that comes with playoff hoops, habitually holding onto the ball for way too long, and lacking the confidence to make definitive decisions.īut Randle finally found himself midway through the third quarter of Game 2, just in time to propel the Knicks to a potentially series-saving win. Obi Toppin, building off of an encouraging final regular season stretch, has displayed a new level of confidence with the basketball early in this series, expanding his game in ways he showed only in rare flashes prior to the playoffs. Both are currently making their playoff debuts against the Atlanta Hawks, but only one is excelling, and it isn’t the one you might expect.
One wanted the ball all season, and if anything, occasionally held onto it too long and too much the other spent much of the year lacking confidence, treating the ball like a hot potato. One just completed an MVP-level season, won the Most Improved Player award, and provided the primary fuel that reignited a wheezing franchise the other just completed an unconvincing rookie campaign lowlighted by a 6-game scoring drought, will not make either of the NBA All-Rookie teams, and had Knicks fans longing for Tyrese Haliburton. One has already endured a lifetime of NBA drama in his seven-year, tri-city career the other was drafted just a year ago into a stable and positive culture. The New York Knicks employ two power forwards, comparable only in positional designation.ĭespite a mere 3-year age difference, they reside decades apart in the NBA hierarchy.
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