Knicks’ Julius Randle needs to be better, and he knows it

MIAMI — The New York Knicks are not living under a rock. They know Julius Randle has to be better than he was Saturday, and Randle knows it, too.

The Knicks’ sole All-Star said all the right things when he spoke with reporters on a Sunday Zoom call.

He talked about how playoff shots are more difficult than the ones he walked into during the regular season but also acknowledged, “I’ve got to do a better job of finding ways to execute off of that.”

He discussed playing with more pace, a focus for the team as a whole heading into Game 4 of its second-round Eastern Conference playoff series, which the Miami Heat lead 2-1 after a 105-86 victory Saturday. He mentioned how the Knicks despite an ugly shooting performance in Game 3, got good looks but added a caveat: “… when we executed properly.”

Head coach Tom Thibodeau implied the team can make Randle’s life easier by getting him off the ball more.

“When we get into situations where we can drive-pass-pass and get him the ball that way where he’s in open space, then he’s going to score efficiently,” Thibodeau said.

But Randle’s postseason issues have dug deeper than just inefficiency.

Defense and effort have veered in every which direction. Decision-making has come into question. Randle charged continuously into a Bam Adebayo-sized brick wall Saturday, and all he came away with was a headache. He finished Game 3 with 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

Changes are necessary for the Knicks, and they start with Randle, who made his second All-Star game in three seasons in February and is likely to wind up on an All-NBA team when the league announces the final voting later this spring.

He doesn’t have to play like the award-winning version of himself for the Knicks to down that pesky squad from Miami. Heck, New York manhandled the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round with Randle struggling most of the way. But he can’t perform like he did Saturday. Few teams could overcome a postseason showing like that.

No matter how much Randle is hurting — and it’s possible he is in anywhere from moderate to extraordinary pain as he fights through an ankle sprain — the Knicks need more from their leading scorer.

During seven playoff games, he is shooting just 34.6 percent from the field and 22.9 percent from deep on almost seven 3-point attempts a game. Of the 118 NBA players who have played at least four playoff games and at least 60 playoff minutes, he ranks 113th in true shooting and 114th in effective field-goal percentage, the two best all-encompassing measures of efficiency. Meanwhile, no player surrounding Randle shoots nearly as often as he does.

Miami defenders are swarming the middle of the floor whenever a Knicks driver, including Randle, approaches the rim. The Heat don’t trust New York’s 3-point shooters, a strategy that has paid off so far. The Knicks shot just 8 of 40 on 3-pointers in Game 3, which the Heat won, after shooting 7 of 34 from deep in Game 1, Miami’s other victory.

But it’s not like Randle is incapable of making the proper plays when second or third defenders come his way. There is no Knicks player more mercurial than their starting power forward. Just look at the past two games.

Randle was brilliant in Game 2 when he returned from the ankle sprain to help New York to a 111-105 victory. He went for 25 points, 12 boards and eight assists. From the jump, he noticed second defenders chasing at him and flipped dishes across the court with the ease of Red Panda. He hustled on defense by scurring from the perimeter to cut off driving lanes and rushing to the corners to contest 3s. He emanated energy.

Come Game 3, for some reason, it all dissipated.

Maybe Randle — who is the personification of, if I can walk, then I can play — is in more pain than we realize. The man has sprained his ankle twice in a month. A severe injury could explain why he was so often the last guy back on defense for the Knicks on Saturday or why he didn’t approach his closeouts with nearly the same verve in Game 3 that he showed in Game 2.

Look at these two plays — the first from Game 2 and the second from Game 3 — and try to figure out how this is the same defender:

Maybe Randle was aching more Saturday than he was during his first game back. Every once in a while, it was evident — split seconds in Game 3 when he pulled up short or favored his healthier side.

But a sprained ankle doesn’t explain why he spent as much time as he did in Game 3 with his hands below his hips on defense, nor does it justify the help defense he failed to play, nor does it excuse the questionable shot selection or slow decision-making.

That last item is key.

“(Pace) is very important. … Get some easy buckets. And even in the half court, play with more pace,” RJ Barrett said. “You know, make their defense have to work a little harder.”

Randle must be part of that change. And it isn’t just about fast breaks. This pick-and-roll from Game 3 looked as if it was played in molasses:

That’s an opportunity to catch Miami in a precarious position.

The Knicks had a small, Jalen Brunson, setting a screen for Randle, who was supposed to go straight into the action. If he moves with urgency, maybe the Heat switch and Randle ends up with the tinier Gabe Vincent guarding him. Or maybe Randle gets in front of his defender, Adebayo, who is as dominant a big-man stopper as there is.

Instead, Randle waits. And waits. And waits. And waits some more. And once he finally goes, Brunson is powerless to get in the way of Adebayo. Randle dribbles six times and hits the floor without his shot hitting the rim. And oh, by the way, Adebayo got an open floater moments later because Randle failed to get back on defense.

Unconventional offense works because of its shock factor. You can’t sneak an inverted pick-and-roll by an opponent if you’re freezing for long enough to let the defense set up. But Randle knows this.

“They’re an excellent half-court defensive team,” Randle said. “So our pace obviously in the fast break, off of misses and makes, has to be better. … Our pace in the half court, as well.”

The offense will look better if shots are made — and not just from Randle, but by everyone.

But a major reason this team surprised the league with 47 regular-season wins and a third-place finish in points per possession was the bounce back from its star forward, who struggled in 2021-22 and dominated in 2022-23.

The Knicks don’t need the adaptation of him that dropped 46 points and a game-winner on the Heat back in March, but Miami is psychotically disciplined. Show the Heat your wounds, and they will dump vinegar on them. And if Randle looks this far off from the man who wreaked havoc throughout the first 82, it will be difficult for the Knicks to overcome.

(Photo of Julius Randle and Bam Adebayo: Rich Storry / USA Today)