The past offseason was very different for New York Knicks forward Julius Randle. Since they did not qualify for the seeding games in the NBA Bubble, it was unusually long and filled with uncertainty.
Perhaps more difficult, Randle also had to endure seeing other teams play while he was stuck at home. According to his trainer, this fueled Randle's workout obsession in the offseason.
Per Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, Tyler Relph, who's been working with Randle for over a decade now, saw a different beast in the offseason. Relph shared how Randle was dead serious about putting the work in.
“Him not being able to play while all those other guys in the league played? That made him mad.”
Randle was so serious, he even bought a house in his hometown of Dallas, Texas so he can go to Relph right away and start working out. They worked out as early as 6 am daily, focusing on footwork and jumpers. Relph said they would sometimes go for 90 minutes without a break.
“At some point I figured he’d (Randle) want to chill. But he never did. Not once. This was different. This was every day.”
The 26-year-old Randle's work ethic in the offseason has clearly paid off as he's having a breakout campaign for the Knicks, who have a 5-3 record. The former Kentucky standout is averaging career-highs of 23.1 points, 34.4 percent in three-point shots, 12.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.
Julius Randle has been playing great, many are picking him to win as Most Improved Player. Yes, even the always-critical Knicks fans who've been hard on him in the past for playing below his potential.
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