Nick is certainly the biggest surprise of the season, and the biggest catalyst is Julius Randle.
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The Knicks currently have 7 wins and 8 losses and are ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference. In addition to the iron-blooded defensive discipline brought by Tom Thibodeau, this season Randle contributed 22.8 points, 6.1 assists, 11 rebounds and a 35.5% three-point shooting percentage. The above data are career highs and he is also a popular candidate for the Most Improved Award.
However, originally almost no one on the Knicks wanted to play with Randle, because Randle was almost the ball lord in the black hole of basketball. According to "The Athletic" reporter Mike Vorkunov, almost everyone within the team is dissatisfied with Randle's style of play, and this conflicting emotion is growing.
In December 2019, Randle decided to take responsibility and apologize to the entire team. However, as of April 2020, according to Mark Berman of the New York Post, players including RJ Barrett were still dissatisfied with Randle's style.
In the 2019-20 season, Randle's usage rate was as high as 27.6%. Among players with the same level of NBA usage rate, only three players had fewer assists than Randle (3.1 times), namely Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and Zion Williamson, Zion's sample There are not many, but Tatum and Embiid are already the league's top offensive finishers.
Among these four players, Randle is the only one with a lower shooting percentage than 50% and the most turnovers. Last season, Randle's total turnovers ranked 16th in the league. His ball-handling and offensive abilities are completely inadequate.
Randle's style of play is somewhat similar to that of Zion. He is a beast who makes good use of physical strength and collisions to play hard, and has a little outside play. However, Randle has the ability to pass but does not have the awareness to pass. He often cuts in or is singled out and then gets trapped in double teams or double teams. He is in a disadvantageous position, but he would rather take difficult shots than pass the ball out.
The Knicks' near-term efficiency last season ranked third from the bottom in the league. Originally, the Knicks management also seriously considered putting Randle on the trade market in the off-season. The selection of Obi Toppin, a rookie of the same type in 2020, was also considered to be intended to replace him. Location.
But Tom Thibodeau became the head coach and changed everything. He urged Randle to improve his physical fitness and defense, hoping that he would shoulder the heavy responsibility as the leader of the iron-blooded defense introduced. This season, the Knicks ranked first in the league in points allowed by opponents and ranked third in defensive efficiency. Seven, the strongest defensive Lions in the league. Randle's opponent's field goal percentage ranks eighth in the league, and his average of 11 rebounds per game is also a new high.
