With Monday night's loss, the New York Knicks find themselves down 3-1 in their best-of-seven semifinal matchup against the Miami Heat. While there are several factors that have played a part in the club's unfavorable standing in their round two matchup, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith seems to be quick in pointing his fingers at big man Julius Randle.
During an appearance on a Tuesday morning episode of Get Up, the prominent sports analyst and lifelong Knicks fan aired his grievances regarding his disdain for New York's recent level of play and, during his two-minute tirade, admitted that he's close to pleading with Leon Rose and company to offload their 28-year-old All-Star this summer.
āI'm not disgusted with anybody more than I'm disgusted with Julius Randle,ā Stephen A. Smith said. āI'm on the verge of coming on national television and asking for the man to be traded. I mean the regular season is one thing, but the postseason, don't get me started with what he does in the postseasonā¦[The Knicks] can't shoot. You got a star in Julius Randle that gets petulant and petty when he's not shooting the ball well so he does everything else wrongā¦I consider the Knicks season a wash. It's over.ā
.@stephenasmith went off on the Knicks š³
"I'm so disgusted with Julius Randle. ā¦ I'm on the verge of asking for him to be traded. ā¦ I consider the Knicks' season a wash. It's over." pic.twitter.com/k1bDafLIjL
ā Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 9, 2023
Stephen A. Smith would continue on by noting that with the Knicks now heading back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5, they could, in theory, add one more win to their 2023 playoff record though sternly stated that āthey're not beating the Miami Heat three straight timesā because, in his words, āthey're just not good enough.ā
Knocks against Julius Randle's production in the postseason is certainly nothing new for Knicks fans, and his career averages of 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on a putrid 34.1% shooting from the field under the bright lights of the playoffs certainly warrant such backlash.
Considering his impressive averages of 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists throughout the 2023 regular season, his current stat line of 15.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.5 points on 37.5% shooting through eight playoff games is a major letdown.
In Stephen A.'s eyes, it's reasoning enough to consider moving on from the likes of Julius Randle this summer.
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