Another night, another disappointing showing from Julius Randle.
For Knicks fans, the most deflating realization might just be that this has become expected from the reigning All-Star and Most Improved Player, and inefficient nights on both ends of the floor have long since been seen as anomalies.
Randle shot just 6-for-17 from the field and 2-for-7 from downtown in Monday night’s loss to the Cavaliers, finishing as a -22 on the night, by the far the worst plus/minus from any player on either team.
Still, the ball was in Randle’s hands for the final shot of the night, throwing up a turnaround 3-pointer from way beyond the arc as time expired to seal another deflating loss for New York. It also brought Randle’s efficient field goal percentage (or eFG%) down to 46.4 percent on the year.
That ranks Randle last in the entire league in that category among players who have played at least 20 minutes in at least 20 games this season.
The face of the Knicks’ resurgent 2020-21 season, Randle has now become a glaring liability after signing a $100 million extension in the offseason. He certainly earned that payday given what he meant to the team’s most memorable season in eight years, but his fall has been sudden and drastic, going from a player who received MVP votes to one that is now arguably the least efficient player in the league in less than a year.
Randle is shooting just 37.6 percent from the field over his last eight games, and just 28.2 percent from downtown. His season field goal percentage of 41.2 percent would be the worst of his career, and his 31.1 3-point percentage is a dropoff of exactly 10 percent from last season. Simply put, Randle has received fair criticism this season, and his numbers reflect that.
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