Julius Randle is now playing in his fourth season for the New York Knicks.
His first was impressive but it was his second that garnered the most attention when he averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6 assists, which was a major step up from his previous seasons.
That was good enough to earn him the 2020-21 Most Improved Player of the Year award.
But the following season was a big downgrade for Randle and the notoriously fickle New York crowd was calling on him to be traded.
A year ago we booed Julius Randle, now the Garden is screaming MVP pic.twitter.com/pH8Zu6aJJ6
— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) January 4, 2023
Things got so bad, in fact, that Randle was booed on his home court and rumors of a trade swirled.
Randle has now bounced back in a big way this year and the fans are now chanting “MVP” as their love for him has returned stronger than ever.
Last season, Randle was putting up 20.1 points a game and now he’s producing 24.2.
Randle is actually producing points and assists and rebounds like he was during his All-Star year in 2020-21.
He is playing with a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm and authority.
He looks and plays happier and healthier and is much more in tune with the game.
The crowds have noticed, and they have also noticed that he’s playing really well with the rest of his team, including newcomer Jalen Brunson.
But will Randle’s return to greatness be enough to get the Knicks over the hump they are in?
The team is 8th in the East, which means they’d be fighting to get into the playoffs if they started today.
There is still enough time for the team to climb up the rankings and have a strong playoff run.
NEXT: Report: Knicks Have Discussed Acquiring Star Player