Just one season later, Randall has brought us "surprises" more than once, today the Knicks lost 91-102 to the Pelicans suffered a three-game losing streak, and the Knicks directly abandoned Randle, who scored only 4 points on 1 of 9 in the final quarter.
Randle led the Knicks back to the playoffs after eight years as fourth in the East, and he was named to the All-Star Team, the NBA's most improved player and the NBA's Best Second Team. He played his career best in the Knicks, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, and he is also the first player in Knicks history to average at least 20 points, 10 boards and 5 assists per game in a single season.
We can't help but sigh: What happened to Randall? I think it's mainly in Randall's style of play and attitude.
First, in terms of playing style - without Jokic's life, he has Jokic's illness.
Randall is neither an organized interior nor a turret interior, but we can often see Randall pick up the ball from the backcourt all the way to the front, face the defenders brainlessly shot iron.
At the same time, as an interior player, he averaged 5.5 three-point shots per game, shooting 31.3%. In three consecutive games, Randle played wildly from outside the three-point line, 2-of-7, 2-of-8 and 1-of-8, for a total of 5-of-23 shooting, shooting just 20 percent.
Randle's stats have slipped this season, and without a decrease in the number of shots he has made, he has averaged 19.1 points per game and shot 41.5 percent from the field.
Two. Attitude - just signed the maximum salary to give the fans a thumbs up
In 2019 Julius Randle joined the New York Knicks on a three-year, $63 million contract. As a result of Randle's flawless performance, the Knicks signed a four-year, $117 million early renewal of a maximum salary contract with Julius Randall on August 27, 2021, which will be executed from the 2022-23 season, with the final year of the contract being a player option.
I don't know if it is because of the top salary contract or what reason, Randall not only showed a cliff-like decline, but also made the fans angry, or Randall's attitude.
For media Randall did not give an interview after seven consecutive games, and for the criticism of fans, Randall even gave an upside-down thumbs up to the home fans at the Knicks home.
In fact, as early as last season's playoffs, Randle exposed his attributes that he could not fight a hard battle. Randle averaged 24 points per game in the regular season last season, but by the playoffs it shrank to 18 points and shot just 30 percent from the field. But Knicks management chose to believe in Randall as one of the cornerstones of the team's future.
Today's Knicks home loss to the Pelicans is just a microcosm, with only 4 points and 3 turnovers, a plus-minus of -26 lowest in the game. But in a post-game interview, Knicks coach Thibodeau still expressed support for Randle. "Whenever we get into trouble, Randall is always subject to a lot of blame," he said. But it's a team sport and we can't rely on any one individual player to win. ”
But we believe that this statement in Thibodeau may be insincere, the Knicks are currently ranked 11 in the East, and it may be difficult to compete with the Raptors, Celtics and Wizards in front of them for a playoff spot, although Rose is about to return.
Randall really doesn't have the potential and ability of a superstar, and the Knicks should still focus on cultivating young potential players like Barrett.