On offense, Thibodeau did the opposite. He did not deprive Randle of the ball, but gave him more opportunities to handle the ball. This season, Randle ranked fourth in the league with an average of 94.8 possessions per game, and the time and dribble he held the ball each time were the same. There are also more balls than last season (3 seconds-2.76 seconds, 1.77 times-1.67 times).
However, it did not develop like last season's script. Randle's bad habit of lowering efficiency the longer he held the ball was completely reversed this season. Randle changed his brutal style of play that only focused on the basket and transformed into an all-around forward. So far this season, Randle has averaged more passes per game than Ben Simmons, and has averaged more assists and points per game than Stephen Curry.
Randle didn't get enlightened by this. He was already a potential playmaker, but he was just willing to share the ball, and his selfless style also made his offense more efficient. He averaged only 1.2 more shots per game this season, but scored 3.3 more points. He was more willing to Distributing the ball to neutral areas prevents opponents from double-teaming at will, thus improving offensive efficiency.
This transformation is not easy for Randle. After all, it is not an easy task to transform from an offensive terminator to a selfless ball organizer, and he has also proven that he can adjust his style of play according to the needs of the team. Randle not only allowed the game to evolve, but also allowed the Knicks to finally show signs of turning a corner.
