Julius Randle‘s first game with the Minnesota Timberwolves may have gone well, but one eagle-eyed Knicks fan pointed out a concerning trend. In the third quarter of the Timberwolves’ game against the Chicago Bulls, Randle tried to make a second-chance basket, only to have the ball knocked out of his hands. Rather than hustle back on defense, Randle chose to argue with the referee about the missed foul call.
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As the fan pointed out, Randle has a habit of doing this, as he is notorious for arguing with the referees, even when play has not been stopped. And while he may have slipped under the radar with this behavior with the Knicks, the Timberwolves may not be as tolerant of this lax behavior from his players.
This defensive lapse aside, Randle had a decent first game with the Timberwolves. Playing against the Bulls, Randle scored 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal while also going 6-12 from the field. His performance didn’t help the Timberwolves win the game, as the Bulls eked out a 125-123 win over them.
Fans will hope that Randle’s poor defensive spirit will be identified and quickly disciplined to avoid future lapses. Randle is the replacement for Karl-Anthony Towns, who while not a great defensive player, improved greatly and put in a great effort on a nightly basis in the last few years.
Randle didn’t play much for the Knicks last year, as an injury kept him away from the court, including the playoffs. But he did play 46 games last season, where he averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. If Randle can continue to provide this level of production, or even improve on this, the Timberwolves will benefit from it greatly.
What Does Julius Randle Bring To The Table?
The Timberwolves acquired Julius Randle as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. He slots in perfectly at the power forward position that Towns occupied for the Timberwolves, and will be playing regular minutes for them next season. But can he help the Timberwolves return to the Western Conference Finals?
There is fair cause for skepticism when it comes to Randle. While he has established himself as a consistent All-Star, he is one of the biggest underperformers when it comes to the playoffs. For instance, in the 2022-23 NBA season, Randle averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, while shooting 45.9% from the field, and 34.3% from the three-point line.
But his production went down significantly in the playoffs that year, as he averaged 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists for the Knicks. He shot poorly in the playoffs, going 37.4% from the field, and 25.8% from the three-point line. This kind of drop-off could be costly for the Timberwolves, especially in a tougher Western Conference.
Randle also struggles defensively in the playoffs, which is the same problem the Timberwolves have already encountered with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
This deal could backfire for the Timberwolves unless the franchise capitalize on Randle’s value and expiring contract and trade him before the trade deadline. Because, as things stand, he cannot help them reach the NBA Finals like they hope to.
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