At 26, Julius Randle is one of the revelations of this NBA 2020-2021 season. Arriving at the New York Knicks last season, Randle gradually made his mark on the team to quickly become a major player in the Eastern Conference. Portrait.
A shy start to his career
So college basketball players on the Kentucky Wildcats, Julius Randle was drafted in 7th place by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014. Unfortunately, his early adventure in the NBA was a real nightmare. In the season opener against the Houston Rockets, Randle has a fractured right tibia. This injury then forced him to miss the entire season.
In the following years, the young American winger made his way into the Lakers team, but at the time the franchise was very weak. This feverishness then prevents him from having any title hopes in his first NBA seasons. Despite a 2017-2018 season at just over 16 points on average, Los Angeles decides to part ways with their winger. Julius Randle is therefore leaving as a free agent.
The Knicks’ rebirth
After a brief stint with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018-2019, Randle comes to the New York Knicks with a 3-year contract and a salary of $ 21 million a year. Upon his arrival, Randle clearly established himself as one of the bosses of the workforce, in a team in cruel search for performance. With an average of points reaching almost 20 points per game during the 2019-2020 regular season, Julius Randle confirmed the hopes placed in him by Knicks leaders. The only downside is the lack of support on the floor for the American winger who will have a hard time carrying this Knicks team to the top of the NBA on his own.
Julius Randle in 2014, then in the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers (credits: © Oliver Petalver / TheDailySportsHerald).
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Not qualified for the playoffs at the end of the 2019-2020 season, the Knicks quickly had to look to the coming season. The main objective is to build a collective capable of competing with the biggest teams in the championship. For this, they can count on Julius Randle as well as Derrick Rose, straight from the Detroit Pistons for this 2020-2021 season. New York is also counting on the arrival of a new coach, Tom Thibodeau, from the Timberwolves.
A reference season for Julius Randle
From the start of the regular season, specialists and fans do not see the Knicks able to qualify for the playoffs. Yet the team exceeds all expectations, especially thanks to one Julius Randle on fire during this regular season. With an average of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, the American scored his best career stat line and continued XXL performances with the Knicks. This consistency during regular season games has earned him a selection for the All-Star Game 2021, a first for him!
However, how to explain these performances of Julius Randle with the New York Kincks this season? The main person has his own idea. In an interview with New-York Post last month, Julius Randle made a point of highlighting the collective strength of the team and the work put in place by his coach, Tom Thibodeau: “When a team plays well, all the players benefit. We are playing well as a team. And in this group, the guys allow me to be at this level. For my part, I also do my best to make others better. We really have to pay tribute to our team. We have to continue like this. ” Continue, the Knicks will be able to do it for this 2020-2021 season after their qualification for the playoffs. The opportunity for Randle and his gang to show what they are capable of when the stake is present on the floor.
Julius Randle, the time of maturity at the New York Knicks was last modified: May 17th, 2021 by
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