Julius Randle, a legitimate All-Star candidate, is the “engine” that determines the rebirth of the Knicks.
This is how Randle was described by veteran teammate Austin Rivers and first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau, respectively, after advanced power and the sudden triple-double threat faced the rising Knicks to their fifth win in six games Wednesday night. against Utah at the Garden.
Thibodeau’s arrival and the recognized renewed commitment to conditioning him seem to have unlocked a new level of play from Randle, who was signed by the Knicks to a three-year deal worth $ 62.1 million as a free agent in 2019. .
The former Kentucky star averaged 23.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and especially 7.4 assists per game – while recording the most minutes in the NBA (38.6 mpg) – before the game. Friday at home against Oklahoma City.
“He is our engine. “He does everything,” Thibodeau said. “Playing big minutes, he comes the next day and it works, he takes care of his body, wonderful with recovery, wonderful in film sessions. The type of leadership is invaluable to a team.
“I think when you look at most of the players in this league there is a progression towards becoming that type of player. I just don’t get there overnight. There are steps he has to take along the way and I think he did. “
Randle, 26, reported to the training camp in early December “in incredible form,” Thibodeau added, allowing him to record hard minutes on a regular basis, while debutant striker Obi Toppin ( calf) remains in parallel.
The Lakers’ seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft averaged 16.1 points and 9.0 points in his first six NBA seasons. This stretch also included a one-season hiatus with Anthony Davis in New Orleans before Randle signed with the Knicks.
Randle was never selected on an All-Star team during his career, but Rivers believes his new teammate “played at that level so far” during the Knicks’ first 5-3 start in 2013.
“The biggest surprise for me was his vision, his desire to pass and his conditioning,” said Rivers, a nine-year veteran, after contributing 14 of the 23 points on the bench in the fourth quarter against Jazz. “It simply came to our notice then. He plays most of the game. He does it at both ends. Speaks. It was great for us.
“He plays at an All-Star level, you can’t deny that at all. So we need him to continue, for sure. “
Randle doubled his career assist production, ranking seventh in the league in that category through Wednesday, after averaging just 2.8 in the first 375 games of his career.
“It’s funny to me, honestly,” Randle said after Wednesday’s game. “To see my teammates come out of the ball screens or from transfers or if they double me in the post or whatever, to play the right game and hit the boys when they are open is energizing for me and it is energizing for them.
“It simply makes it difficult for us to play defensively for each other. When we all know that we will go out together and make the right game and transition and play for each other. It is amazing. He entertains us all by doing it and I have fun too. “