Amid all the criticisms that the New York Knicks franchise has had to endure over the years, forward Julius Randle showered them with praise this time. The former 7th overall pick claimed that the Knicks are now actually built the right way, at every level of the organization.
Randle made his bold statement fresh off their win over the previously-unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers. For him, the organization has also been pushing him to become the best player he could be — a similar challenge he has posed on himself.
“I think Knicks got the right people in place from top to bottom. They challenged me in the offseason to become a better player. Obviously I'm going to put that pressure on myself as well, to challenge myself to get better every year,” Randle said per SNY.
Front office and coaching competence? Player development? Those haven't exactly been staples of NBA basketball in New York. For the ever-tortured Knicks fanbase, you definitely love to hear it.
In their 95-86 win in Cleveland, Randle put up a monster performance with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. His showing was enough to guide the Knicks to their second win of the season.
Though New York is considered the mecca of basketball, their home team hasn't exactly showcased a performance to be proud of for what feels like forever. The last time the Knicks made the playoffs was in 2013. The last few seasons were filled with a slew of coaching changes and failed regular-season campaigns.
But the offseason was filled with hope, especially with the hiring of Tom Thibodeau — a coach with a wealth of coaching experience. Their roster, too, headlined by Randle, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Obi Toppin, among others — seems has found success in the relatively young NBA season thus far.
A lot can still happen in the 2020-21 NBA season. But Randle's words, as well as the Knicks non-terrible start are clearly something to be happy about. For the sake of New York Knicks fans everywhere, hopefully these improvements are built to last.
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