Julius Randle was officially introduced by the Timberwolves on Thursday, beginning the next chapter of his NBA career after five years with the Knicks that included three All-Star selections, a Most Improved Player Award, and a return to playoff relevance for a team that many others spurned when New York came calling.
At his introductory press conference Thursday morning, before turning the page to a new era in Minnesota, Randle pointed to the work he put in, and the new culture around Knicks basketball that he helped create, even he didn’t get to see the work through.
“Going there five years ago and having a goal in mind to accomplish a lot of great things,” Randle said. “A lot of blood, sweat, and tears put into that organization and that uniform.”
For those Knicks fans that will now watch the likes of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns try and finish what Randle started, it is the “blood, sweat, and tears” that should be remembered. Randle had his flaws on the court (part of which led the Knicks to feel a trade for Towns was needed in the first place) and his regular season production never materialized in the postseason, but the lasting images of Randle in New York should be the integral part he played in getting the Knicks to where they are now, putting in their own blood, sweat, and tears at training camp as they prepare for the franchise’s most hyped season in nearly three decades.
Randle was the consolation prize after the Knicks whiffed on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, cast aside for a rival many believed was irrelevant. By his second season, Randle had the Knicks back in the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, emerging as an MVP candidate and the face of New York’s gritty underdog roster that fans grew to love. The lack of talent around Randle became apparent in the playoffs, when it was clear that toughness wouldn’t be enough. Randle played poorly in the five-game loss to the Hawks, and heard plenty of it, though there was never enough talk of the double teams he faced to exhaustion in that series, and the secondary scoring options being an inefficient RJ Barrett, a slumping Immanuel Quickley, a banged-up Derrick Rose, and other shooters like Alec Burks and Reggie Bullock.
The disdain for Randle only carried into the next season, with many fans electing to make Randle’s infamous thumbs down to the MSG crowd the headline of his New York tenure (which ignored the work he has done in the NYC community since arriving in Gotham), regardless of what came next.
Me? I prefer to focus on the Randle that transformed himself into a different player the year after, returning to All-Star form and looking even better than he did in the exciting “We Here” season. His field goal percentage grew from 41.1 to 45.9 percent. His 3-point percentage rose from 30.8 to 34.3 percent, and he embraced the rise of newcomer Jalen Brunson, who blossomed into a star and the clear top scoring option for that Knicks squad, which would go on to win a playoff series for the first time in 10 years.
Of course, Randle wouldn’t play a big part in that postseason, as he badly sprained his ankle with just five games to go in the regular season, causing him to miss the final five contests after not missing a game up until that point all year. His performance in the playoffs only heightened the narrative around his postseason pedigree, and the season ended with fans stomping on his poster as they exited a watch party at Madison Square Garden after the Knicks were bounced by the Heat in Miami. Me? I choose to focus on the fact that Randle battled through his ankle issue in the first place, and the unfairness of a great season being undone by an untimely injury.
Fast forward a year, and a painful case of déjà vu haunted Randle again. Another All-Star season, another case where Randle seemed to effortlessly adapt to a big-time newcomer (this time OG Anunoby), only to have his season end to a separated shoulder that would require surgery. Randle worked through his rehab process, desperate to get back and help the Knicks make a run, but in the end, doctors advised him that his career would be put at risk if he returned to the court.
So, somewhat unceremoniously, that is how Randle’s Knicks tenure ended. It should have come with memories of a big shot in the postseason, or Randle celebrating on the court as the Knicks clinched their first conference final berth in over two decades. Instead, Randle is gone, and while some celebrate the exit of a player who once feuded with fans and never made an impact in the playoffs, I choose to honor a player who saw where he needed to improve, worked his tail off to do it, and was haunted by untimely injuries that prevented him from achieving redemption. Instead of debating whether or not the Knicks could win a championship with Randle on the roster this season, I'll focus on the fact that there is no championship discussion around New York had Randle not agreed to join the roster in the first place.
As the Knicks get ready to deploy an offense that could be a relentless machine this season, it may be easy to forget that Randle laid the path to this outcome in the first place. A fanbase as starved for championship success as Knicks fans shouldn't let that happen. Since Patrick Ewing, how many Knicks have been more impactful on the franchise than Randle? You can make your arguments, whether it be Allan Houston, Carmelo Anthony, or obviously Brunson. But the list is short, and Randle is on it.
The Knicks are now loaded, primed for a run at a title. Who knows, maybe they finally get there. If they do, I know Randle will be one of the first players I think of, as a championship wouldn’t have been possible without his blood, sweat, and tears being put in first.