How Knicks turned Julius Randle’s season around by letting him be him

Julius Randle’s tenure with the Knicks has been one of extremes. His first season in New York looked like a waste of time and money, as he struggled with the responsibility of being the top dog and the team floundered. Then, just one year later he broke out into an All-NBA player.

This season has felt like that too, with Randle unable to find the rim his first six games, shooting 27 percent from the field, before bouncing back. He’s averaged 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 51 percent shooting since then, playing some of the best ball of his career.

What’s behind Randle’s volatility and this latest turnaround? There’s always a multitude of factors at play, but the lesson to be learned might be simple: Let Randle be Randle.

The best players never stop trying to improve, but sometimes changing someone’s game too much from their natural tendencies can hurt more than help. Randle’s is heavy on mid-range centered isolations, he likes to take his time and create from there, which has some downsides, but it’s what works for him.

Let’s look at it in the context of this season. Coming in, the talk from and around Randle was him playing more efficient ball, picking the right spots to attack and making quicker decisions.

We saw that, in theory, during those first six games. He only attempted 16 field goals per game, with an uncharacteristic 31.3 percent of his attempts coming on the catch-and-shoot. He was attempting just two mid-range shots per game and 40.6 percent of his touches lasted less than two seconds.

Randle struggled mightily those first few games, looking totally out of sync. To turn it around, it looked like he was operating out of the mid-range more — taking the less efficient but more familiar post fades and pull-ups.

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) shoots the ball as Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) and forward Kevin Knox II (24) defend during the first half at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The stats seem to back this up. He’s attempted 18.4 shots per game since, with only 19.6 percent of his shots coming off catch-and-shoot, and 34 percent of his touches lasting under two seconds.

This may be a chicken-and-egg situation, as who’s to say Randle just didn’t get more comfortable and shot-happy after breaking out of his slump. Except this correlates with his entire tenure as a Knick — some Randle likes and irks just stick.

For example, Randle’s been as or more efficient on pull-up threes than standstill ones since 2021. He’s also not a pure marksman from three, he needs to warm up with some closer jumpers, where he’ll actually draw doubles to create opportunities.

Looking at it from a broader point of view, Randle’s best solo show came in 2021, when it was entirely his team and he maxed out his usage and volume. In 2022 he stumbled out of the gates with new ball handlers in tow and a more directed offense, but rebounded in 2023 given the freedom to take turns bully balling with Jalen Brunson.

Some innovation is good, as we’ve seen Randle work on his spot up game and get more chances in the pick-and-roll this season. But when it was time to get him playing winning basketball, the Knicks went back to the basics, getting him to his favorite spots instead of others’ desired spots.

Some fans may be over Randle’s disappearing act in the playoffs and inconsistent defensive effort, but there’s no debating his production when he’s on. So while he’s here, and the Knicks need him to be that All-NBA level guy, perhaps it’s best to let him do his thing, instead of trying to fix him.