New York Knicks: The Julius Randle Factor Is Real
There are moments in life where accidents just happen. Like slipping on black ice you didn’t see or meeting the girl of your dreams in a bar you had no intentions of going to until your friends dragged you out. Well, for the New York Knicks, they slipped on the black ice, brought that pretty girl a drink at the bar, and may have fallen into a serious relationship.
The All-Star reserves were announced this week and Julius Randle made the cut. Is this what the Knicks wanted? No. Their goal, according to rumors were to move Randle and make way for their 2020 first-round pick, Obi Toppin. So, what do they do now?
It seems logical that the New York Knicks will stick with Randle but this is still the Knicks we’re talking about. Randle has emerged as a legitimate star this season but how did the Knicks not see this coming? While with the Los Angeles Lakers early in his career, Randle was lost on a team that had no direction. In four seasons with the Lakers, Randle averaged 13.5 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting .492 percent from the floor.
Then he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a move that brought the Lakers Anthony Davis and that’s when Randle began to make some noise. In his lone season with the Pelicans, Randle averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds. A star was born but the Knicks didn’t see it nor want to see it.
Last season while in Gotham, Randle averaged 19.5 and 9.7 rebounds but the Knicks couldn’t find their way out the basement. Solid numbers but the team was still losing. For the New York Knicks, they began to look towards the future and Randle was not in their plans.
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But that’s why the game is played on the court and not off assumptions. This season, Randle came out the gate cooking. He’s leading the Knicks with averages of 23.4 points and 11 rebounds per. And, the Knicks are winning games.
But what happens at the trade deadline? Will the Knicks look to unload their lone All-Star and get back valuable pieces or will they look to build around their 26-year old PF?
This will be a true test to see if the organization is on the right track. For the New York Knicks, it’s much bigger than this season. A quick glance across to Brooklyn and the Nets have the pieces necessary to bring a championship back to NYC. The Knicks must find a way to counter their moves and stay relevant in the competitive Atlantic Division.
As it stands, Julius Randle is the foundation. What the front office must do is find the necessary pieces to put in place around him. Imagine a season where the Knicks either make the playoffs or fall just shy. Free agents will see the young talent with Randle, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley and will see that the Garden is the place to be.
All the New York Knicks must do is not mess it up by giving up on Julius Randle.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
