Apparently, Julius Randle of the New York Knicks has heard all of the negative comments about him and his playing this season.
There has been a lot of criticism of Randle so far this year because of a lack of drive and production on the court.
Randle has responded over the last couple of games, scoring 29 points in a tough loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday and then 31 on Monday night in a much-needed win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Zero excuses for Randle to turnover the ball and than NOT hustle back as hard as possible on defense.
This is the problem Knicks fans have with Julius. pic.twitter.com/NIuvByBslo
— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) November 8, 2022
Randle’s point total was impressive and pleasing to fans but there was one moment early in the game that had people shaking their heads.
Randle was trying to make his way into the paint to score an easy two when the ball was swept away and stolen by the T-Wolves.
As Minnesota raced up the court, Randle sluggishly tried to keep up.
It looked like he was trying to get a foul and wasn’t moving quickly because he thought the whistle was going to blow.
But the lack of hustle was a bad look and it got the loyal Knicks fanbase angry again.
Randle Rallying
The Knicks need Randle to play as he did just a couple of seasons ago.
In 2020-21, Randle was averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6 assists.
That led to his first All-Star selection and the 2020-21 Most Improved Player of the Year award.
This year, he’s at an average of 20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, which is very close to last year’s lackluster totals.
It is not exactly clear why Randle hasn’t been performing as he used to but there is plenty of time for him to figure himself out, get back on track, and make the fans happy again.
The last few games have shown promising signs but Randle still has a long way to go to win over those who used to root for him and then turned against him.
NEXT: The Knicks Have A Nagging Problem