Of all of the New York Knicks players to catch flak for their performances over the past years, perhaps none have faced more criticism than star power forward Julius Randle, who signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Knicks in 2019 and a four-year, $117 million contract extension to remain in the Big Apple in 2021.
The 2021 Most Improved Player of the Year, as well as a two-time All-Star and All-NBA selection since joining the Knicks, the bulk of criticisms levied at Randle have been in regard to his postseason performance. After all, in his only two playoff appearances (15 games total), the former No. 7 pick has shot just 34.4 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from 3-point range while averaging 17.1 points per game (he averaged 24.7 points per game in the regular season those years).
In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Randle might have had a bit more of an excuse, as he suffered an ankle injury prior to the end of the 2022-23 season but battled through the pain in order to suit up for the Knicks that postseason. Despite aggravating the injury in Game 5, the Knicks took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in the First Round. They then fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the semifinal round, a series in which the aggressive big man seemed to settle for a lot of tough jumpers though he refused to say his injury affected his performance.
While his performance earned the ire of the Knicks fan base, his toughness and competitiveness weren't lost on his teammates.
āIt just really shows you that nobody should ever be questioning his toughness, how much he wants it, how much he cares about the team, how much he cares about winning,ā teammate Quentin Grimes tells SNY insider Ian Begley as they discuss Randle playing through injury in the postseason. āI think thereās a certain narrative around him, which I think is total b******t honestly. He cares a lot about this team.ā
Randle, now 28-years-old, recently posted an offseason workout video on Instagram as he prepares for his 10th career season.
To be frank, more commitment to the defensive end, better ball-movement and little less settling for jumpers in general could go a long way for the Texas native in his efforts to lead his team to more wins.
Nonetheless, as Grimes notes, nobody should ever question just how much Randle actually cares about winning.