Julius Randle, in a conversation with Yahoo! Sports' Jake Fischer, recalled himself sulking around the house during last year's NBA playoffs, as a drastic decline from Randle contributed to the Knicks missing out on a chance of making the postseason in back-to-back seasons.
"Damn near just depressing for my wife to look at," Randle told Fischer.
Randle, after winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award and leading New York to and improbably postseason appearance in 2021, became one of the league's least efficient shooters a year later, heard trade demands and boos from the fanbase that adored him a year before, and watched New York slide back into a temporary stay of dysfunction.
"Last year was tough," Randle told Fischer. "I'm a competitor at heart. You get addicted to winning and wanting to experience that. And for me, I wasn't at my best and we didn't build off what he had did the year before. So it was tough. It was a frustrating year."
So, how did Randle get back on track? First, by getting his mind right, vacationing overseas in Rome with his family before getting back onto the court to try and get his game back.
"I just had to get my peace and joy back," Randle said. "I just had to get my perspective back on the game and life in general. But it was also something that I learned a lot about myself as well."
It clearly paid off, as Randle was an All-Star once again this season, while the Knicks rolled into the break and are in position to get back to the playoffs, which would accomplish the goal that Randle wanted to get back to after last year's disappointing finish.
"I mean, it's all an honor," Randle said. "I'm humbled, you know? But to do it once is an honor. To do it twice, it's not a coincidence. For me, I just want to keep having fun with it. More than anything, I just got back my joy and love for playing the game. And the results are showing, obviously with me being here and our team winning games. That's just what it was all about."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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