Although he's listed as a power forward, New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale says he is planning to have Julius Randle bring the ball up the floor at times in the coming season.
Fizdale recently joined Ian Begley of SNY TV to discuss Randle's versatility on the court. Amid the interview, Fizdale noted some of his plans for the former No. 7 overall pick:
“I'm gonna have him handling pick-and-roll,” Fizdale told SNY TV. “I'm gonna have him setting pick-and-rolls. He'll post and (isolate) and I'll run pindowns for him, cross-screens and pindowns. For a guy like that with that kind of talent I wanna move him around and utilize the skillset from different parts of the floor.
“I think he's an underrated passer,” Fizdale added. “I'm going back through his film now and he does a lot of stuff to help his teammates and he makes good plays,” Fizdale said. “He understands the challenge I'm putting to him is leadership, defense and making his teammates better.”
Randle joined the Knicks back in July, agreeing to the terms of a three-year, $63 million deal. The former Kentucky Wildcat made 73 appearances with the New Orleans Pelicans last season (49 starts), racking up averages of 21.4 points on 52.4 percent shooting from the field (34.4 percent from beyond the arc), 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 30.6 minutes per outing. He's expected to start in the frontcourt alongside Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks are a team that is looking for improvement. Last season, New York posted the worst mark in the NBA (17-65). Hopefully, with the offseason now in the rearview mirror, they'll take a step back toward respectability.
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