Julius Randle was one of the breakout players during the 2020-21 season, leading the New York Knicks to the playoffs, and winning the Most Improved Player award. He averaged 24.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 6.0 APG.
Despite his stellar play last season, Julius Randle hasn’t played up to that same standard this year. His scoring average is down, and he’s only averaging 19.2 PPG this season.
Perhaps part of the reason for Julius Randle’s struggles is the fact that he gets fewer calls this season. The NBA has implemented new rules in order to cut down on non-basketball moves leading to easy free throws. Some perimeter-oriented players such as Damian Lillard have already criticized the move, calling it “unacceptable”.
Randle has blasted the referees after the New York Knicks-Brooklyn Nets game, claiming that the referees stated that the reason he doesn’t get calls is that he is “stronger than defenders” and that “contact is not affecting him”. There’s no doubt that this sort of refereeing is unfair if Randle’s statement is true, as there are plenty of strong players in the league that get a lot of free-throw attempts, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo. Randle is also not known for trying to game the officials either.
Julius Randle said he was told by officials he's not getting calls because he's stronger than defenders and contact is not affecting him:
"That's not how you're supposed to referee a game."
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) December 1, 2021
Julius Randle said he was told by officials he’s not getting calls because he’s stronger than defenders and contact is not affecting him:
“That’s not how you’re supposed to referee a game.”
There has not yet been a response from the league about Julius Randle’s statement. It is quite possible that he will get fined for criticizing the officials. Hopefully, Julius Randle finds a way to get around how he is officiated and perform at a high level in the future for the Knicks.
The New York Knicks are 11-10 with their recent loss to the Nets, and they’ll have to play better in order to reach the heights they did last season. Many expected the Knicks to improve with their offseason signings, but that hasn’t been the case. Perhaps we’ll see them rattle off some wins and go on a run soon.
