26-year-old Julius Randle is having a breakout season for the New York Knicks. Averaging 23.1 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, he has been a star for the team — and has been the main driving force behind their surprising 14-15 record.
To put things into perspective, Randle is currently out-performing several superstar players in different categories.
With his 23.1 scoring average, Julius is dropping more points than Anthony Davis (22.5), Karl-Anthony Towns (20.8), and Ben Simmons (15.2). He’s grabbing more rebounds (11), than Joel Embiid (10.8) and Bam Adebayo (9.4). His 5.6 assist average is also more than Jrue Holiday (5.4) and Donovan Mitchell (5.1). Amazingly, Julius is also shooting 40.6% from downtown this season, more than Damian Lillard (38%) and Buddy Hield (37%).
Julius Randle is averaging:
*more points than Anthony Davis or Karl-Anthony Towns
*more rebounds than Joel Embiid or
Bam Adebayo
*more assists than Jrue Holiday or Donovan Mitchell
And Randle is shooting a higher percentage from 3-point range than Dame Lillard and Buddy Hield
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) February 16, 2021
Julius Randle is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average more than 10 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting over 40% from 3PT range and over 80% from the FT stripe.
The other player in the exclusive club is Larry Bird during his MVP season in 1984-85.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) February 16, 2021
Needless to say, Julius Randle is having an insanely impressive campaign, as he’s on par with many multiple-time NBA All-Stars.
The question now is, how long can Randle sustain this level of play? Through his previous six seasons, he has never played this well. Is this season a fluke? Is it the product of good coaching? Or is this finally the time that Julius lives up to expectations?
It remains to be seen how far this will go. All we can do now is just hang on and enjoy the ride.