Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were introduced as new Timberwolves players in a press conference. During the press conference, Randle spoke about his first reaction to being traded, noting that the news made him emotional, and took time for him to process. But the next day, he was filled with optimism about a new start and wanted to help the Timberwolves win a championship.
“It was a lot of emotion. You spend a certain amount of time at a place – New York – going there five years ago, having a goal in mind to accomplish a lot of great things. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears put into that organization and uniform. Initially, it’s always gonna be a shock.”
“But for me, afterwards, I woke up the next morning, I was just really, really excited. It was a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to bring everything I learned here over the past five years and just help these guys out. My only thing here is; I just want to help. I want to help Ant, Rudy, Naz, all those guys. I want to help win a championship.”
Being traded is not a great feeling, no matter who the player is. Especially when it catches you off-guard. So for Randle, the shock of being traded despite being one of the best players of the franchise for the last few years must have been very difficult to understand and accept.
But it sounds like he is coming into the Timberwolves with a positive mindset and mentality, and wants to help the franchise compete for a championship next year. He will have to continue performing at an All-Star level if he wants to be able to elevate the Timberwolves to the NBA Finals.
How Can Julius Randle Contribute To The Timberwolves?
Julius Randle, despite getting traded, is a consistent All-Star caliber player who is a decent scorer and rebounder. Last season, prior to his injury, Randle averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, and played a big part in the Knicks securing the second seed in the East behind the Celtics.
The Timberwolves might be tempted to use Timberwolves as a like-for-like replacement for Karl-Anthony Towns, but that would be a mistake. Though both players play the same position, they are vastly different players. Randle is nowhere near the shooter that Towns is, but is a far better defender.
Randle could be used as the second option for the team, but he will need to have a stronger interior presence than Towns, as that is where he is at his best. This would mean instructing Anthony Edwards to play more of a perimeter game and instructing Rudy Gobert to not clog the painted area to allow Randle some freedom.
However, the best possible use of Randle would be as a trade asset. This isn’t because Randle isn’t a great player, but he doesn’t match the Timberwolves timeline, and he could be used to attract a better player, or several pieces to the franchise to help build around Edwards in the long run.
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