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New York Knicks: Why they should trade Julius Randle

By Zamir Bueno

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 11: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks in action against Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors during a game at Madison Square Garden on April 11, 2021 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 102-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 11: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks in action against Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors during a game at Madison Square Garden on April 11, 2021 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Raptors 102-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks, Julius Randle (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
New York Knicks, Julius Randle (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle is likely to see a decline in 3-point shooting

On the other hand, fans should expect a decline in Randle’s 3-point shooting. Randle shot 41.1 percent from behind the arc during the regular season on 5.5 attempts. Randle’s 3-point shooting percentage allowed him to generate 6.9 points per game: 28.6 percent of his scoring output.

Randle’s 3-point shooting statistics were way above the previous two seasons as he shot 30.8 percent from behind the arc on 3.1 attempts per game. He attributed his improvement to constantly working on the shot during the prior offseason.

Unfortunately, Randle’s assessment of why his 3-point shooting has increased is wrong, as the increase is related to the lack of fans in the arena. The NBA averaged 2,121 fans during the 2020-21 season: an 88.1 percent decline from the previous season, averaging roughly 17,700.

The catalyst for the decline was the pandemic. Former players believed that players are more relaxed when there are fewer fans in the arena and can perform better. Former NBA superstar, Scottie Pippen told Business Insider in 2020 that Rajon Rondo probably shot 50 percent from behind the arc in the Orlando bubble because there were no fans. As a result, he was more relaxed and could focus on making shots.

Consequently, the NBA teams shot an average of 36.7 percent from behind the arc.However, the NBA started to return to full capacity arenas in the playoffs. The return of packed arenas contributed to a decline in 3-point shooting as NBA players shot 35.5 percent from behind the arc during the playoffs on an average of 2.6 attempts per game.

Randle was one of the players who experienced the decline significantly, as he shot 33.3 percent from behind the arc on 6.6 attempts. Randle only averaged 6.6 points per game from behind the arc: 0.3 points less than the regular season.

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