The Julius Randle Thread

[Domejandro]

I get it is an unpopular opinion, but I honestly don’t understand the hate towards Julius Randle on offense. The team looks so much better when Randle is the team’s primary option. He generates a ton of offense for teammates (especially compared to Minnesota’s much bigger problem on that side of the court).

[WentzerWuver]

The way Finch used Slo-Mo gives me hope that Randle can fit right there in Slo-Mo role. There will be a adjustment period for sure, but he can make it.

Finch also know Slo-Mo doesn't play like this...Randy plays the ball hog role.

https://youtu.be/gBfU3ltj5t8?si=XN85TcHRULL2VFJs

I don't know much about Randle, but you can make a low lights video for KAT too. He'll look like the worst player in the league as well. He's made his fair share of dumb plays in his career. You can start with all those stupid kick out fouls he used to do, then add in all those stupid hooking fouls he does, and sprinkle in the rest of the stuff.

Slo-Mo lowlights don't come close to Randy no matter how hard I try. His offense is unstoppable for a big man, even if he is a horrible rim protector. I bet Minny rather undo that trade now while the Knicks are smiling they finally got rid of this...

https://youtu.be/gBfU3ltj5t8?si=SGnGXOxCOx90s28z

If you disagree, then you are just a Randy lover!

[WentzerWuver]

Julius, Jaden, and DD for Giannis!!

I guess you finally had it with Randy huh?

https://youtu.be/z1ZYiEubD_M?si=DO_5ykzTtP3cNB6Y

Told ya Lol

https://youtu.be/2D8z_PCQq84?si=e9HXD2D5F3iwL-yH

[shrink]

If you disagree, then you are just a Randy lover!

Only the worst debaters argue like this. We have one here already.

[shrink]

I get it is an unpopular opinion, but I honestly don’t understand the hate towards Julius Randle on offense. The team looks so much better when Randle is the team’s primary option. He generates a ton of offense for teammates (especially compared to Minnesota’s much bigger problem on that side of the court).

By next week, he’ll probably lead the team in assists. I heard a stat that last year his Knicks teammates were shooting like 56% 3P when they got his wide open kick outs, best in the nba. Open, catch-and-shoot threes are an easy shot, but still, that number seems absurd.

I think the problem when Randle got here was that he was not used to swinging the ball early in the shot clock. He would see an advantage, or an advantage he could get with several dribbles, and he would attack the rim. For the Knicks, that wasn’t a problem, but it’s not what Finch wants to run. I am starting to believe that when Randle plays like this, the problem is doubled because Ant is more likely to do the same thing, thinking he might not get the ball back if he passes it. But even that might be unfair to lay at Randle’s feet, because Ant did that plenty, long before Randle got here.

For those that have paid attention, both he (and Donte) have looked much better in the last few weeks, as they have gotten more familiar with their new teammates and new coach. Julius was even playing hard defense against Wemby last game! If fans stop scapegoating him for every Wolves’ issue (many of which could be laid at Ant’s feat), I think it would more accurately describe what is going on right now.

[Klomp]

I get it is an unpopular opinion, but I honestly don’t understand the hate towards Julius Randle on offense. The team looks so much better when Randle is the team’s primary option. He generates a ton of offense for teammates (especially compared to Minnesota’s much bigger problem on that side of the court).

Like, I understand that it's a clunky brand of basketball to watch (especially with the starting group), but I think that clunkiness is clouding people's judgment about Randle as a player.

Clunky doesn't mean bad. By today's standard, the classic Spurs offenses would be probably seen as clunky too.

[Klomp]

I think the problem when Randle got here was that he was not used to swinging the ball early in the shot clock. He would see an advantage, or an advantage he could get with several dribbles, and he would attack the rim. For the Knicks, that wasn’t a problem, but it’s not what Finch wants to run. I am starting to believe that when Randle plays like this, the problem is doubled because Ant is more likely to do the same thing, thinking he might not get the ball back if he passes it. But even that might be unfair to lay at Randle’s feet, because Ant did that plenty, long before Randle got here.

Spot on.

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[Domejandro]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

[winforlose]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

Ant is having a terrible season all around. But you cannot ignore the effect of lack of ball movement on the starting unit. Randle doesn’t move it as easily if he doesn’t expect to get it back. He also is playing for his own stats as much as for wins. Ant and Randle together is a losing proposition. Randle is much more effective playing with the bench mob. They benefit from his scoring, and he benefits from their passing and movement. ISO ball is as much a problem as hero ball and you cannot ignore either when explaining why the starting unit is as bad as they are, especially end of games.

[Klomp]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

Honestly, I agree with this almost fully. This is my biggest issue with the fan base at the moment. Julius seems to have been pre-judged, and there's little he can do to change minds.

I don't think Julius was acquired in order for him to pay dividends in October, November and December. I suppose you could argue that it is necessary in order to use him as a trade asset in February, but I don't personally believe his trade market will change much within actual front offices from October to February. I think the key has always been April and May, if working under the assumption he is still on the roster. This is certainly risky, due to Randle's past postseason struggles. But we all saw how easy the team was to defend last postseason, and I still believe the threat of Randle would take pressure off of Edwards in those clutch postseason moments in ways that Towns didn't.

On Edwards, I also don't think it's as easy as blaming it solely on Randle either. Yes there are spacing issues to work with. But as they find more ways to work through them, things should improve. I also think Edwards might be coasting a bit too much. It's no secret that Ant likes to save himself for the biggest moments. Letting Randle "do his thing" almost to where it gets Ant out of his own groove. He doesn't physically skip games for load management like other stars do, but I think he mentally skips some. That's as much to blame as anything.

[younggunsmn]

I get it is an unpopular opinion, but I honestly don’t understand the hate towards Julius Randle on offense. The team looks so much better when Randle is the team’s primary option. He generates a ton of offense for teammates (especially compared to Minnesota’s much bigger problem on that side of the court).

Methodically dribbling into the paint and then hoping you can pass it out to the 3 point line without a turnover is a terrible, awful, no good offensive strategy. And that is basically the Julius Randle offense.

When you attack the basket you need to be quick and decisive because you lose your advantage quickly as the defense reacts.
IMHO we would be best served with Ant and Randle catching the ball off of movement and then attacking with momentum if we are going to make that the staple of our offense rather them go ISO all the time which is atrocious.

But tell that to them when they are both breaking off the playcall to go ISO all the time.
And if Finch isn't pulling them to correct that, that's a coach without his hands on the wheel issue.

[younggunsmn]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

Honestly for me this season it's the spider man meme with those 2 guys pointing at each other when they are both making the same mistakes.

[younggunsmn]

I get it is an unpopular opinion, but I honestly don’t understand the hate towards Julius Randle on offense. The team looks so much better when Randle is the team’s primary option. He generates a ton of offense for teammates (especially compared to Minnesota’s much bigger problem on that side of the court).

By next week, he’ll probably lead the team in assists. I heard a stat that last year his Knicks teammates were shooting like 56% 3P when they got his wide open kick outs, best in the nba. Open, catch-and-shoot threes are an easy shot, but still, that number seems absurd.

I think the problem when Randle got here was that he was not used to swinging the ball early in the shot clock. He would see an advantage, or an advantage he could get with several dribbles, and he would attack the rim. For the Knicks, that wasn’t a problem, but it’s not what Finch wants to run. I am starting to believe that when Randle plays like this, the problem is doubled because Ant is more likely to do the same thing, thinking he might not get the ball back if he passes it. But even that might be unfair to lay at Randle’s feet, because Ant did that plenty, long before Randle got here.

For those that have paid attention, both he (and Donte) have looked much better in the last few weeks, as they have gotten more familiar with their new teammates and new coach. Julius was even playing hard defense against Wemby last game! If fans stop scapegoating him for every Wolves’ issue (many of which could be laid at Ant’s feat), I think it would more accurately describe what is going on right now.

If you watch the tape Randle's defensive rotations and efforts have been consistently bad all year whether he's been defending the paint or the perimeter. One decent possession where Wemby was hunting a 3 pointer doesn't change that.
Go watch the last 5 minutes of the Warriors game if you need proof.

He's undersized enough defensively that he doesn't have much margin for error on technique.
Putting Randle at the 5 is basically the same as putting Luka Garza there when it comes to defensive skillset.
They're beefy enough to not get bullied, but you can score over and around them pretty easily.

[WentzerWuver]

I get it is an unpopular opinion, but I honestly don’t understand the hate towards Julius Randle on offense. The team looks so much better when Randle is the team’s primary option. He generates a ton of offense for teammates (especially compared to Minnesota’s much bigger problem on that side of the court).

By next week, he’ll probably lead the team in assists. I heard a stat that last year his Knicks teammates were shooting like 56% 3P when they got his wide open kick outs, best in the nba. Open, catch-and-shoot threes are an easy shot, but still, that number seems absurd.

I think the problem when Randle got here was that he was not used to swinging the ball early in the shot clock. He would see an advantage, or an advantage he could get with several dribbles, and he would attack the rim. For the Knicks, that wasn’t a problem, but it’s not what Finch wants to run. I am starting to believe that when Randle plays like this, the problem is doubled because Ant is more likely to do the same thing, thinking he might not get the ball back if he passes it. But even that might be unfair to lay at Randle’s feet, because Ant did that plenty, long before Randle got here.

For those that have paid attention, both he (and Donte) have looked much better in the last few weeks, as they have gotten more familiar with their new teammates and new coach. Julius was even playing hard defense against Wemby last game! If fans stop scapegoating him for every Wolves’ issue (many of which could be laid at Ant’s feat), I think it would more accurately describe what is going on right now.

If you watch the tape Randle's defensive rotations and efforts have been consistently bad all year whether he's been defending the paint or the perimeter. One decent possession where Wemby was hunting a 3 pointer doesn't change that.
Go watch the last 5 minutes of the Warriors game if you need proof.

He's undersized enough defensively that he doesn't have much margin for error on technique.
Putting Randle at the 5 is basically the same as putting Luka Garza there when it comes to defensive skillset.
They're beefy enough to not get bullied, but you can score over and around them pretty easily.

Totally! They are just sad Randy lovers nick picking instead of dealing with reality.

https://youtu.be/Swyoperriyc?si=HV2CdFmunBF6PWyb

[Norseman79]

Good God people, it's not like Randle is awful. I just don't think he is a good fit, and admittedly I never gave him a chance because I hated the trade. Defense is sketchy, offense is clunky, but he can play.

[RazorC]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

The thing is, you can’t unrelate Ant’s regression as a playmaker from Towns not being there because Towns commanded so much attention, it made things much easier for Ant to make plays. Just having that presence on the floor causes a shift in everything. Even it’s just an extra 8 inches - a foot of space ….that’s a lot at those levels.

[Domejandro]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

The thing is, you can’t unrelate Ant’s regression as a playmaker from Towns not being there because Towns commanded so much attention, it made things much easier for Ant to make plays. Just having that presence on the floor causes a shift in everything. Even it’s just an extra 8 inches - a foot of space ….that’s a lot at those levels.

Certainly to an extent, but for what it’s worth, Anthony Edwards has just flat out been a ballhog this season, even in full spacing lineups. If he was put on a four dribbles or less policy, he would be a substantially better player, the dude dribbles the air out of the ball and goes absolutely nowhere when he does it. People can say what they want about Julius Randle, but he’s constantly going downhill and collapsing the defense.

Anthony Edwards dribbling lazily on the perimeter and not driving gives off the same vibes as Andrew Wiggins just deciding not to dunk anymore. Even with increased defensive pressure, the dude has just kind of given up on being an attacker, and he gives the team almost nothing off-ball with his lack of movement.

[TheZachAttack]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

The thing is, you can’t unrelate Ant’s regression as a playmaker from Towns not being there because Towns commanded so much attention, it made things much easier for Ant to make plays. Just having that presence on the floor causes a shift in everything. Even it’s just an extra 8 inches - a foot of space ….that’s a lot at those levels.

Certainly to an extent, but for what it’s worth, Anthony Edwards has just flat out been a ballhog this season, even in full spacing lineups. If he was put on a four dribbles or less policy, he would be a substantially better player, the dude dribbles the air out of the ball and goes absolutely nowhere when he does it. People can say what they want about Julius Randle, but he’s constantly going downhill and collapsing the defense.

Anthony Edwards dribbling lazily on the perimeter and not driving gives off the same vibes as Andrew Wiggins just deciding not to dunk anymore. Even with increased defensive pressure, the dude has just kind of given up on being an attacker, and he gives the team almost nothing off-ball with his lack of movement.

Ant needs to be more intentional. Early in the season when he was taking 10-15 3’s per game and moving off ball as well we could argue whether he was more impactful as a driver or a shooter but he was being intentional about using the space that he did have and getting to shots that he liked.

Now, he’s not taking 3’s and he’s not driving or he’s being unintentional with the ball and getting trapped and letting teams trap him in no man’s land. Maybe we want Ant to be a drive first player and maybe that’s the best version of him, but on this team with this spacing I would argue the best version of him is getting up 10-15 3 point shots per game and using that to open up driving lanes later in the game.

And then maybe there’s a conversation of if that’s the case what does that mean about this roster construction and maximizing around Ant. Im not sure who told him to stop lacing that bihh but he isn’t being as aggressive at getting to those in rhythm pull up 3’s and moving into space off the ball. At a minimum, this should be the case in Randle/Gobert/McDaniels lineups and then more driving in non-Randle/Gobert/McDaniels lineups or when only 1 of them is on the floor.

I might even argue Ant’s 3 point shot is his best skill given he doesn’t draw fouls, doesn’t have mid range spots or consistency, and at least in non-spaced floors isn’t actually that great at finishing in traffic. He doesn’t play at his own pace to draw defenders into fouls, he tries to out athleticism around and through contact and refs see this as two players contesting space even if it’s physical. You need to create an advantage and make defenders reach… not blow through the same space.

[WentzerWuver]

Another frustrating thing for me on the forum (to continue the pro-Randle circlejerk for just a minute longer) is that I feel like the stagnant offense problems are like 85% the result of Anthony Edwards completely degrading as a playmaker this season (largely unrelated to Towns being gone), but people attribute that problem to Julius Randle’s iso ball. Occasionally there will be a bad drive where he gets stripped, but watching the games, Randle generates a ton of good looks for perimeter players.

The thing is, you can’t unrelate Ant’s regression as a playmaker from Towns not being there because Towns commanded so much attention, it made things much easier for Ant to make plays. Just having that presence on the floor causes a shift in everything. Even it’s just an extra 8 inches - a foot of space ….that’s a lot at those levels.

Certainly to an extent, but for what it’s worth, Anthony Edwards has just flat out been a ballhog this season, even in full spacing lineups. If he was put on a four dribbles or less policy, he would be a substantially better player, the dude dribbles the air out of the ball and goes absolutely nowhere when he does it. People can say what they want about Julius Randle, but he’s constantly going downhill and collapsing the defense.

Anthony Edwards dribbling lazily on the perimeter and not driving gives off the same vibes as Andrew Wiggins just deciding not to dunk anymore. Even with increased defensive pressure, the dude has just kind of given up on being an attacker, and he gives the team almost nothing off-ball with his lack of movement.

Compared to Kat, he makes Ant less lazy. It's like the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[Klomp]

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