In their Friday night win over the Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle had a monster first quarter.
He poured in 19 points, connecting on five three-pointers and shooting 75% from the field.
This electrified Knicks fans, as many celebrated the effort of their team’s leader.
Many fans recognized the timing of the performance after Randle was auspiciously left off the All-Star voting list.
Julius Randle after seeing the All-Star Voting Update pic.twitter.com/p4J0MR454x
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) January 7, 2023
Despite 24.4 points and 10 rebounds per game this season, Randle was not voted among the 10 best forwards in the Eastern Conference.
This was surprising to fans, as the naked eye shows how deserving Randle is for an All-Star nod.
It has also translated to wins for the Knicks.
The team currently sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and have been playing well as of late.
This has been without RJ Barrett, their third leading scorer this year.
Randle has responded to this absence of scoring with his own contributions, scoring at least 25 points in his last nine games.
It was also his sixth straight double-double, and he continues to average one this season.
Fans also were quick to recognize Randle’s expertise in the first quarter this season.
All-Time NBA players rankings:
1. First-quarter Julius Randle
2. MJ
3. LeBron— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) January 2, 2023
Randle has become known for getting off to hot starts all season.
This has led him to draw joking comparisons to Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
While these are obviously extreme comparisons, it shows how good Randle has been to start games this year.
It will be important moving forward as the team looks to make a playoff run.
Getting off to hot starts can help push the Knicks forward, getting them on hot streaks throughout the rest of the season.
NEXT: The 2 Best Performances From Knicks Win Over Raptors