Julius Randle, after a year in which he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and signed a $100 million extension, became a source of frustration for Knicks fans when he devolved into one of the least efficient shooters in the league and slowed down the offense last season.
This year, even his own teammates are noticing a new approach and mindset on the floor from Randle, who the Knicks hope can get back to the player he was during the 2020-21 campaign and help New York get back to the playoffs.
“His approach has been totally different,” Derrick Rose said. “The way he’s reading the floor is totally different. His passing has been unbelievable, like getting to spots and not forcing shots and understanding that we’re trying to get up a certain amount of threes. He’s finding the shooters.”
Randle was showing a new approach in the preseason as well, posting an impressive assist to turnover ratio, and that has continued through the first two games of the Knicks season. After dishing out 17 assists in four preseason games compared to just four turnovers, Randle put up six assists in the team’s season opener, and while he didn’t log an assist in Friday’s blowout win over the Pacers, he didn’t commit a turnover either, and knocked down two of his three 3-point attempts.
All positive trends for the Knicks that they hope continue.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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