1. A Victor Oladipo trade would take some pressure off Julius Randle
Julius Randle is playing at an All-Star level, but he’s only one guy, and the Knicks are asking him to do so much. Randle is New York’s top scorer, playmaker, rebounder, and 3-point shooter. When you have a roster made up mostly of guys who can’t reliably do any of those things, it’s putting a tremendous amount of pressure on Randle.
Not to play minutes police, but Julius Randle has earned a rest. He’s been in the top two in minutes per game all season long, and he’s played 35 minutes or more in 22 of 28 games this season. But to score points, Thibodeau hasn’t had much of a choice. Without Randle, the offense is anemic.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks score a measly 106 points per 100 possessions without their best player on the court. That’s almost identical to the offensive rating for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota has the most losses in the NBA with a record 6-20.
The 29-year-old is currently averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 32.0 minutes with a usage percentage of 28.0 percent. Oladipo is one of 94 players who average 50 touches per game. He ranks 24th in points per touch, 43rd in seconds per touch, and 39th in dribbles per touch, per NBA Stats.
Oladipo still hasn’t regained his All-NBA form from 2017-18, but he hasn’t lost his aggressiveness. He averages 11.9 drives per game and 17.5 field goal attempts. Even if you don’t like that volume, it’s always nice to have another guy who can do this.
Oladipo’s been more than just a scorer this season. His playmaking is something that makes him so intriguing to the Knicks. Providing the team with another ball-handler like Oladipo would make it easier for Thibodeau to keep Randle out of the game. Elfrid Payton is auditioning for his next team, so he’s averaging a career-low in assists, and his assist percentage has plummeted.
In nine games with Indiana this season, 32.8 percent of Oladipo’s possessions were spent as the pick and roll ball handler. Following the trade to Houston, that number has gone up to 37.7 percent. He hasn’t been incredibly efficient in either stint — 33rd and 44th percentile, respectively, per Synergy Sports.
Oladipo won’t solve New York’s perimeter woes, but he should help. He’s chucking seven 3-pointers per game this season and making them at just a 32.3 percent clip.
But Oladipo is converting 38.8 percent of his catch and shoot 3-pointers, per NBA Stats. Unlike Payton, defenders won’t completely ignore Oladipo when he catches a pass behind the 3-point line.
The addition of Derrick Rose should alleviate some of Randle’s burden. Acquiring Oladipo on top of the former MVP would make things even easier on the team’s best player.