Coming out of Kentucky I always remembered watching Julius in his high school days. I was blown away by his speed with the
ball and how gracefully he finished at the rim with his left hand. He had his moments on the Lakers but was never utilized properly and he himself did not have much of a perimeter game.
Early on in his Laker career he reminded you of a versatile forward who could rebound,pass and get you 15-20 points a night. Julius Randle signed a 3 year $48 million dollar contract to play in the Garden for the next 3 years and I think he will be so good over the duration of that contract that the Knicks will offer him an extension before his 3rd season kicks in.
Some feel the only thing keeping Julius back from being a perennial all-star is his defense. He’s not the biggest nor most explosive big man but he combines exceptional footwork with a go to turn around jumper. If Julius Randle can be a reliable 3 point shooter off kick out passes he could average 25-26 ppg and be a perennial all-star over the next 7-8 years barring injury.
Randle moves like a guard and can actually take defenders off the dribble due to his above average ball handling. He’s not Kevin Durant facing up a defender but for power forward there are not many bigs who can handle like Julius aside from Davis and maybe Towns. Randle has been working extremely hard over the off-season and Knicks fans should not be missing Porzingis at all, not to say he will be better than Porzingis but he won’t be far off.
To conclude is it out of the realm Julius Randle takes the Knicks to the playoffs? Smith Jr,Barrett,Knox, and Robinson will all be at the very least borderline all-stars so combining those 4 with Julius Randle makes for a possible titile contender 2 years down the line or maybe the upcoming season, we will see. If Julius Randle wants to be in New York and he wants to make Knicks fan believe, they should keep him around the next 8-10 years.
D-NBA 