A fantastic New York Knicks season came to an end against the Miami Heat on Friday night. The Knicks went on to lose Game 6 by a final score of 96-92, thanks largely to a 24-point, eight-rebound performance from Heat star Jimmy Butler.
Arguably the most disappointing storyline from the Knicks' Game 6 loss was the play of Julius Randle, who was dealing with an ankle injury. Randle laid an egg from an offensive standpoint on Friday as he scored just 15 points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field and 1-for-7 from behind the three-point arc.
After New York's Game 6 loss, Randle spoke to the media, and he shot down the notion that his ankle injury played a role in his postseason struggles, per a tweet from SNY's Knicks Videos account:
“I'm not one to make excuses.”
Julius Randle was asked if his ankle impacted his play at all during the series:
"I'm not one to make excuses" pic.twitter.com/3bMQlI5DXJ
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 13, 2023
Julius Randle, 28, has played nine years in the big leagues and four as a member of the storied Knicks franchise. He averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 2.8 turnovers per game across 77 appearances this season (all starts).
The former Kentucky standout shot the ball with great accuracy from the free-throw line in the 2022-23 campaign, at least by his standards — Randle's 75.7% free-throw percentage was the second-highest of his entire pro career.
While Randle certainly underperformed in Game 6, the Knicks would never have been in the position to potentially force a Game 7 in this series if it weren't for his efforts. And with a core of Jalen Brunson, Randle, RJ Barrett, and Josh Hart, Knicks fans should be incredibly excited about next season.
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