New York Knicks big man Julius Ranle has struggled to find a rhythm through the early stages of this season, but he's hoping to figure out a solution sooner rather than later.

The Knicks are asking Randle to be a leader on both ends of the floor. So far, though, opposing sides have limited his production — sometimes guarding him with two and three players. The former No. 7 overall pick has made seven appearances with New York this season, racking up averages of 13.4 points on 41.8 percent shooting from the field, 10.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

Those numbers aren't terrible, but Randle is still adjusting to this new role:

“It's a lot that we're asking of him,” Knicks head coach David Fizdale told SNY last week. “(Previously in his) career all he's been asked to do – for the most part – is score. And so now he's juggling (the additional responsibilities) and trying to figure it out. And I think step-by-step, he'll get there.”

Fizdale started Bobby Portis at center in Sunday night's game against the Sacramento Kings, which gave Randle a bit more space on the floor. The experiment failed to produce positive results, though, as New York trailed by double digits in the first quarter and went on to lose, 113-92.

Randle struggled from the field, scoring eight points on 4-of-13 shooting (0-for-3 from beyond the arc) to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. He also posted a plus-minus score of minus-27 and knows he has to do more:

“(There have) been defenses loading up on me the whole year and that's really what it's been,” Randle said via SNY. “I've got to look at the film, honestly. I can't give you a clear answer right now. I've got to look at the film and see if I had more opportunities to attack or whatever it was or get cleaner looks. I don't know. But I've got to figure it out.”

Randle and the Knicks fell to 1-6 with Sunday's loss. The season is still young, but they'll need to figure out a way to rack up some wins fairly soon. Their next shot at claiming a victory comes on Wednesday night, when they'll face off against the Detroit Pistons inside Little Caesars Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.