It was not long ago that New York Knicks fans were tearing down posters of Julius Randle outside of Madison Square Garden after a playoff loss that featured a less-than-stellar performance from the forward.
Such an incident reinforced a narrative that Randle was not a big game player, and while it may have been unfair, he departed New York with this reputation on his back. So far in the 2025 postseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves have received a different version of Randle.
One that has shown he can handle playoff intensity and adapt to what a given game requires from him. While he may not be the primary option that the Knicks thought he could be, the Kentucky product has shown he deserves his flowers.
Why NBA fans owe Julius Randle an apology after Timberwolves first round victory
Across Minnesota's five games against the Los Angeles Lakers, the two-time NBA All-Star averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field and 39.3% from distance. All of this came through 37.8 minutes per contest, the most minutes he's averaged through any of his three postseason runs.
"Julius Randle was absolutely huge in this series, another guy who has had a lot of unfair criticism in his career," said Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch. He was outstanding at both ends of the floor, and we don’t win this series without Julius."
Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and others have helped form a unit that is hard to top. It is undeniable that the caliber of this supporting cast has granted Randle the space to properly read the game without feeling pressure to consistently be the team's top scorer.
The numbers show as much. In Game 1, Randle was an effective 6 of 11 from the field but also recorded five assists. One contest later, the 30-year-old went 9 of 17 while also putting up six assists and four rebounds.
Randle was always the kind of player who could stuff the stat sheet, but his play this postseason is not simply resulting in hollow marks. The Timberwolves have needed him to be a complementary piece who can do different things at a high level.
In other words, the variance in terms of field goal attempts, assists, and rebounds shows that Randle has been able to adapt and not fall into the habit of needing to shoot to be impactful. Minnesota will face an experienced Golden State Warriors team in the second round, and it would not be foolish to think that Randle could be a major factor.