## 3. When [Julius Randle](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3064514/julius-randle) goes fast
Randle since the [New York Knicks](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/ny/new-york-knicks) 2-4 start: 25 points on 49% shooting, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. The Knicks are 10-4 in that span, sporting the league’s No. 5 net-rating overall.
Some of that is (mild) shooting luck: Randle has hit 50% long 2s and 70% at the rim in that stretch.
He’s still stopping the ball a bit too much; Randle is averaging almost 16 isolations per 100 possessions, behind only [Luka Doncic](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3945274/luka-doncic) and [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4278073/shai-gilgeous-alexander), and the Knicks are scoring only 0.883 points out of those plays, per Second Spectrum. (Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander are both well over 1.1 points.)
But over extended segments of each game, Randle is operating with new snappiness:
That is an instant baseline tornado. Even in his two All-NBA seasons, you seldom saw Randle act with such decisiveness.
Randle is a smart passer when defenses converge, and he’s in the middle of maybe the best passing month of his career. He’s dishing earlier, ahead of defensive rotations, and he’s less predictable picking his targets.
The Knicks are bringing out Randle’s passing by running more pick-and-rolls for him — almost 11 per 100 possessions, well above his career high of 7.5, per Second Spectrum. That gives [Jalen Brunson](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3934672/jalen-brunson) more chances in a spot-up role to jack 3s, or roast defenders who sprint at him.
The Knicks have outscored opponents by 9.2 points per 100 possessions with their core four starters — Randle, Brunson, [RJ Barrett](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4395625/rj-barrett), and [Mitchell Robinson](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4351852/mitchell-robinson) \– after that group struggled for years on offense amid clunky spacing. (Spacing is still only so-so.)
Brunson and Randle are averaging 50 points combined on almost 50% shooting since that 2-4 start. New York may not have a top-15 player, but Brunson is close; when both play at this level, the Knicks have two players in the next tier. Barrett is a nice jack-of-all-trades third wheel. Robinson is a bear on both ends.
The Knicks’ bench changes games. New York’s brass has been careful not to overreach pursuing high-wattage names. It should stay patient. This team is really good as is, and hasn’t reached its ceiling. If one or two variables break right, it could make the conference finals.
[https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/\_/id/39057886/lowe-lakers-pels-post-ad-randle-new-snappiness-giannis-dominant](https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/39057886/lowe-lakers-pels-post-ad-randle-new-snappiness-giannis-dominant)
My note: This is why Zach is the best. He gets over his own prejudices and can see positives even in people he’s criticized. Take him over KOC, for example, who won’t concede that Thibs is a good coach.
by spaceninj
7 Comments
I liked when Randle made off-ball plays in the first half of the Bucks game. It didn’t happen at all in the second half, but for a while there we actually looked like an elite offense
> The Knicks’ bench changes games. New York’s brass has been careful not to overreach pursuing high-wattage names. It should stay patient. This team is really good as is, and hasn’t reached its ceiling. If one or two variables break right, it could make the conference finals.
But at the same time, we gotta do something with all them gotdamn picks at some point. There’s ways to improve the team without prematurely breaking up the core.
in that 10-4 stretch the Knicks have beaten only 1 team with a winning record. The fact: Randle has been playing at his highest level as a Knick in the last two weeks yet they still cannot beat a winning teams. He doesn’t elevate the play of a single player on the team. Maybe if Mitch had fingers on his hands instead of stumps he would.
Wtf? I’ve never seen Randle good PR before.
Randle has always been really good when he has momentum going to the rim. The problem is he would opt to back his man down and work the high post which would lead to a double team and he’d struggle to navigate it. He has definitely been playing with more decisiveness and it’s been paying off. Hope he continues with this trend.
I’d like to see who is below him in the isolations and what their points per are. Comparing him to Luka and Shai is obviously gonna make him look bad.
>
Randle is a smart passer when defenses converge, and he’s in the middle of maybe the best passing month of his career. He’s dishing earlier, ahead of defensive rotations, and he’s less predictable picking his targets.
I’m a broken record when it comes to this. The Knicks are good team when Randle goes for 5+ assists. They’re a fantastic team when he goes for 6+.