The Julius Randle Thread

[vtime]

Extending Randle should a priority. The hardest thing to do in this league from a transaction perspective is to acquire an All NBA talent, see the assets given up for Gobert. If you have an All NBA player in-house and his play hasn’t fallen off and he’s not on a super max, it’s best to keep him.

[minimus]

Slight difference from what we saw from KAT over the years.

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Another difference is that Randle's assist mostly generate an open three point shot. Towns assist are mostly alleyoop passes to Gobert or cuts (2pts)

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[minimus]

The thing I most excited about Randle are his off ball cuts. Either 45 cut, or backdoor cut. He looks unstoppable when he gets the ball on the move.

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[Klomp]

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I was reading something interesting, basically an idea to do it different from the Gobert extension. While Gobert's last year of his current deal was ripped up, keep Randle's on the books because it is rather cap friendly. I do think there is an avenue to keeping all of Gobert, Randle and Reid, so I'm not too worried about that.

[cmoss84]

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I was reading something interesting, basically an idea to do it different from the Gobert extension. While Gobert's last year of his current deal was ripped up, keep Randle's on the books because it is rather cap friendly. I do think there is an avenue to keeping all of Gobert, Randle and Reid, so I'm not too worried about that.

I sure hope you're right about this!

[Klomp]

This is fascinating to me:

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Randle has already shot four corner 3-pointers through 3 games. Last season, Towns shot only 29 corner 3s in 62 games.

[BlacJacMac]

I'm more impressed that he's taken almost 50% of his shots at the rim. And hit 76% of them.

[Sealab2024]

I still question the defense and that's no small thing. This team got to where it was last year because they played high intensity team defense with soul crushing size. They need to be significantly more reliable offensively if they're gonna take a step back defensively.

But the offensive fit is super intriguing. I'm not nearly as worried about it as I was. Randle can stretch enough and create well enough to command attention outside.

[Klomp]

I'm more impressed that he's taken almost 50% of his shots at the rim. And hit 76% of them.

In his season with Finch in New Orleans actually, 67.5% of his FGs were at the rim (only two other zones were above 5% distribution).

In New York?
2019-20: 53.7%
2020-21: 29.4% (Thibs' first year)
2021-22: 35.6%
2022-23: 32.3%
2023-24: 47.7%

[Klomp]

I still question the defense and that's no small thing. This team got to where it was last year because they played high intensity team defense with soul crushing size. They need to be significantly more reliable offensively if they're gonna take a step back defensively.

But the offensive fit is super intriguing. I'm not nearly as worried about it as I was. Randle can stretch enough and create well enough to command attention outside.

The talk all offseason has been that in order to take a step forward offensively, we might need to take a step back defensively.

[Sealab2024]

I still question the defense and that's no small thing. This team got to where it was last year because they played high intensity team defense with soul crushing size. They need to be significantly more reliable offensively if they're gonna take a step back defensively.

But the offensive fit is super intriguing. I'm not nearly as worried about it as I was. Randle can stretch enough and create well enough to command attention outside.

The talk all offseason has been that in order to take a step forward offensively, we might need to take a step back defensively.

I understand. My concern is that Julius just try. If we're not as good that's fine, what we can't have are full on breakdowns cause guys are taking plays off. JRs effort on that end has waxed and waned throughout his career, but we need him taped in. Again, he doesn't have to be all NBA, but he dies have to rotate, square up his man, work around picks etc.

[shrink]

This is fascinating to me:

Randle has already shot four corner 3-pointers through 3 games. Last season, Towns shot only 29 corner 3s in 62 games.

Towns didn’t need to take corner three’s - those easier shots should be saved for worse shooters like McDaniels.

Towns needed to take a WHOLE lot more threes, but they should have been above the break three’s.

[Klomp]

This is fascinating to me:

Randle has already shot four corner 3-pointers through 3 games. Last season, Towns shot only 29 corner 3s in 62 games.

Towns didn’t need to take corner three’s - those easier shots should be saved for worse shooters like McDaniels.

Towns needed to take a WHOLE lot more threes, but they should have been above the break three’s.

I disagree. I think had he been willing to get in he corner, it would have helped unlock more of the offense.

[Colbinii]

This is fascinating to me:

Randle has already shot four corner 3-pointers through 3 games. Last season, Towns shot only 29 corner 3s in 62 games.

Towns didn’t need to take corner three’s - those easier shots should be saved for worse shooters like McDaniels.

Towns needed to take a WHOLE lot more threes, but they should have been above the break three’s.

I disagree. I think had he been willing to get in he corner, it would have helped unlock more of the offense.

What I find interesting the more I watch Randle is how spry he is for a PF. He really is like a guard in a PF body in terms of his skill-set.

One thing he definitely does better than Towns is move--he is smaller so he moves much quicker and repositions into the proper areas of the court quicker than Towns could ever imagine. This helps a lot with corner 3's, especially as our offense has more of an off-ball motion feel this year. Randle can easily re-locate into the corner. With Towns, his skill-set was typically utilized in post-ups and above the break 3's but he couldn't reposition two or three times per possession like Randle is capable of.

[m2002brian]

The issue with KAT and corner 3s is the same issue he had with double teams and guys getting up into him. He’s claustrophobic. When he’s squeezed he panics.

JR has a lot more composure driving and operating in tight spaces. He’ll never be the better shooter of the two, and maybe not the better passer. But when space gets tight and defensive intensity picks up, JR will make the right decision more often than KAT would.

[zimpy27]

Towns didn’t need to take corner three’s - those easier shots should be saved for worse shooters like McDaniels.

Towns needed to take a WHOLE lot more threes, but they should have been above the break three’s.

I disagree. I think had he been willing to get in he corner, it would have helped unlock more of the offense.

What I find interesting the more I watch Randle is how spry he is for a PF. He really is like a guard in a PF body in terms of his skill-set.

One thing he definitely does better than Towns is move--he is smaller so he moves much quicker and repositions into the proper areas of the court quicker than Towns could ever imagine. This helps a lot with corner 3's, especially as our offense has more of an off-ball motion feel this year. Randle can easily re-locate into the corner. With Towns, his skill-set was typically utilized in post-ups and above the break 3's but he couldn't reposition two or three times per possession like Randle is capable of.

Randle certainly uses his physicality on offense a lot more than KAT does. Randle has more varied offense and probably is a better fit with Gobert actually.

[Colbinii]

The issue with KAT and corner 3s is the same issue he had with double teams and guys getting up into him. He’s claustrophobic. When he’s squeezed he panics.

JR has a lot more composure driving and operating in tight spaces. He’ll never be the better shooter of the two, and maybe not the better passer. But when space gets tight and defensive intensity picks up, JR will make the right decision more often than KAT would.

Randle is clearly the better passer. Randle may not have better "Vision" but Randle is a more effective passer and a quicker passer.

[minimus]

I'm not sure if you can say that in English, but Randle is more about creating space by shrinking the floor and making quick kick out pass, while Towns is more about creating space by stretching the floor. It is a big difference.

[Colbinii]

I'm not sure if you can say that in English, but Randle is more about creating space by shrinking the floor and making quick kick out pass, while Towns is more about creating space by stretching the floor. It is a big difference.

Yes. And what we struggled with for years for Towns was his inability to consistently warp/collapse a defense. That's what the highest level offensive players do, and as the defense is warped, they make the best play for the team.

Watching Luka last night was the epitome of this. He gets into the defense, utilizes the other 4 members of an offense to get exactly where Luka wants to get--his spots. Now, the defense has a choice--Do we live with Luka at his ideal spot or do we send help and start the scramble.

Randle is capable of getting into the teeth of a defense in a way Towns simply couldn't. And when we look at ANT, he simply isn't the crisp decision maker to consistently make the right decision once he bends a defense. That's why the theory of Towns/ANT and the reality didn't match. You have this player who can get into the paint routinely in ANT and you have the GOAT big-man shooter in Towns. On paper, a perfect fit offensively. The reality is we needed another high-level decision maker and player who could collapse a defense, and Randle is that.

[cupcakesnake]

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The defense is bad. Randle isn't a serious player on that end.

The offense is great. I don't always love Randle's decision making, but it's always nice to have a really strong guy who is that skilled. The shots going to come and go as it has his whole career.