Julius Randle’s emergence is nothing new at this point, and he has shown that it isn’t a fluke by leading the New York Knicks to a playoff position in the Eastern Conference. There is no way that they could have had such a good season without his improvement, and he has been slated to be the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award.
One of the people that supports Randle’s bid for the award is former teammate, Anthony Davis. After the recent Lakers-Knicks matchup, Anthony Davis talked about Randle’s improvement and talked about the things that Randle did in order to improve his game. (3:20)
Julius, that’s my guy. Played with him in New Orleans and you know he definitely developed his game with shooting ability and off the dribble.
I mean he’s been playing like this all year, you know? I think he’s an MVP kind of candidate, uh he for sure should win most improved. What he’s doing got his team in the playoffs right now you know for a team who hasn’t been in the playoffs for a while so um he’s playing his a** off and uh you know you can do nothing but respect it.
Anthony Davis acknowledges that Randle has taken a leap since their time together in New Orleans, and points to his improved shooting ability as the reason why. He also seems to believe that Randle should win MIP, simply due to the fact that he has led the New York Knicks to the playoffs. They are a team that has been hungry for the postseason, and Randle has given them something to look forward to. Julius Randle is without a doubt deserving of the award, and there is a real chance that he will get it.
