Knicks Coach Hopes to Unlock Julius Randle

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has played the best basketball of his career under coach Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau came to the Knicks a year after Randle signed in free agency, and the coach has drawn out the best out of the former lottery pick out of Kentucky.

Thibodeau believes that Randle can be even better in the upcoming season.

“He has evolved more than a lot of people realize,” Thibodeau said via NBA insider Steve Aschburner. “He’s added the 3-point shot, he can put it on the floor, he can play back to the basket, he can face up and play off the screen. He can run the floor — I always tell him, “You’re at your best in transition, getting downhill.” When he plays that way, he’s impossible to stop. It’s speed, it’s strength, it’s all those things. He commands two on the ball, and he’s got to trust the pass from there.

The Randle that entered the league in 2014 with the Los Angeles Lakers is very different than the version of himself 11 years into the future. Thibodeau has been the best coach he’s had in his career and the numbers show it.

Other than the 2021-22 season, Randle has averaged over 24 points and nine rebounds in each year under Thibodeau. Last year, Randle pulled off those numbers until January when he suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Randle can emerge again, but there will be some adjustments to make after hurting his shoulder. He’s expected to make a full recovery in time for the season opener against the Boston Celtics, and if he follows the guidance from his coach, Randle can pick things up from where they left off.

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