cgf wrote:JayTWill wrote:cgf wrote:Man I just can’t wait to see Julius back in the court with this supporting cast. Not only does he give Brunson more rest, but having a second creative hub just opens the court & the offense up.
Did you come into this thread to defend Randle from accusations of being a poor off-ball player and then change the conversation to him not being a ball stopper and then posted a video of his value with the ball in his hand and not off-ball to present a more positive image of Randle? I need to hire you as my public relations guy immediately and I don't even work in a public setting. You are incredible
Nah. I’m not really interested in debating Randle any more, so I’m not trying to make an argument.
I came into this thread answering the previous Randle thread, with some energy left for that.
…but then I ran out of steam half way through my first post, and at this point just can’t wait to watch this team play.
E:
Although that video does show some of why he does still warp a defense even when away from the ball, as his defender has to follow him to the perimeter so Julius doesn’t have time to dissect the defense with a pass or set a screen & hand the ball off…
But again not really interested in this debate because we need Julius even more than the Nuggets do.
Randle obviously provides value on the offensive end. I just don't see the value that you see with him off the ball. He is not a great perimeter shooter. He is a pick and pop or pick and roll big. He isn't constantly setting screens or moving off the ball. He and Brunson essentially take turns creating offense and not all of that is because of their skillsets. Some of that is just Thibs' limited offense.
I know you watch a lot of Bull's games. Here is a clip of Brunson's shot attempts versus the Bulls in January with both Brunson and Randle taking 20+ shots and scoring 30+ points.
https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022300468&PlayerID=1628973&RangeType=0&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612752&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=gameI don't see any special attention being given to Randle off-ball in comparison to someone like Hart who isn't exactly known as a shooter or scorer. I see Brunson pounding the air out of the ball taking a ton of difficult shots like he does most of the time.
I'm not saying there is no benefit to having Randle on the floor with someone like Brunson. You clearly see at times Caruso, one of the best defenders in the league is guarding Randle which means he is not guarding Brunson but you can also see the congestion in the paint on many of Brunson's attacks despite Randle being on the court with his man sagging into the paint.
You can also see how incredibly hard Brunson has to work to generate offense in the half court and how limited Thibs' offense is. Having Randle to carry the load of the difficult shot making in an offense with limited ball and player movement makes Brunson's life easier but I don't see this warping of the defense that you see with Randle off-ball or this synergy that you speak of between Brunson and Randle. There is almost no interaction between the two of them with Randle just standing around in many of the clips and only providing a release valve for Brunson if he can't get a shot off after his many dribble moves and counters.
Randle is a physical force that requires defensive attention to keep out of the paint. The Knicks offense benefits from that gravity when he has the ball in his hands and can attack the paint. Randle standing around on the perimeter doesn't provide much of anything other than giving the Knicks someone else to take the bailout shots most of the time.
