He’s allowing 10.7 opponent fast-break points per game, the highest number since 2017 with the Los Angeles Lakers. It seems a lack of focus and energy has been a culprit for Randle’s struggles, or maybe even the team’s free-agent moves. It is his defense that stands out as a primary liability, something that analysts aren’t talking enough about. He is still managing to score at an adequate rate despite his fall in shooting efficiency. He shot 40% on wide open 3PT’s last seasonĪ drop-off of nearly 8% in three-point hit rate is astronomical, showing that Julius simply isn’t converting shots at the same pace he did during his All-Star season. Julius Randle is shooting 25.5% on wide-open 3-pointers (no defender within six feet) this season (13-for-51) In fact, Randle is connecting on just 25.5% of wide-open 3-PT shots this season, when he was hitting 40% last year. This season, his average points have fallen to 19.6 per game and is shooting just 33.5% from three-point range, a massive difference despite maintaining his 5.5 attempts. This season, though, everything has fallen apart as the communication with the starting five has degraded, and the trust of his teammates has also been reduced to a minimum.Ī bit of natural regression was expected after posting incredible stats last season, shooting 45.6% from the field and 41% from three-point range, averaging 24.1 points per game. Randle was capable of dominating by himself last season, thanks to incredible defense and effort. Altogether, he was contributing elite play on both ends of the floor, which justified the Knicks extending him on a four-year, $117 million deal. Via his advanced statistics, he had the highest Player Impact Estimate ( PIE measures a player’s overall statistical contribution against the total statistics in games they play in) over his first six seasons in the league at 15.8. It was the first time he recorded a positive net rating in his career, logging career highs in assist/turnover ratio and the lowest turnover ratio in his career. Over 37.6 minutes per game, he recorded a 106.8 defensive rating paired with a 109.8 offensive. However, they likely didn’t anticipate Julius Randle taking such a massive step backward in his progression.ĭuring Randle’s All-Star campaign in 2020–21, he posted incredible defensive and offensive metrics. However, their statistics have led them down an interesting path, one that has backfired tremendously after signing Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier this past off-season to contribute more offensive production.Īt this point in the season, Walker has already been benched due to lack of defense, and Fournier is wildly inconsistent on both sides of the floor. The New York Knicks have completely adapted to the analytics age, making decisions based on probabilities and expectations due to numerical values.
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