Knicks eyeing big change with Julius Randle next season

The New York Knicks appear to be thinking outside the box with star big man Julius Randle.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke this week to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. In the interview, Thibodeau revealed that the team is considering playing Randle more minutes at the center position next season.

“We’ll look at some different things because we have versatility,” Thibodeau stated. “We could see Julius more at the 5. I don’t want to do that for long stretches, it would take its toll. But to have him do it for 10 or 15 minutes, I think he can do it well. He also would create a lot of [offensive] advantages.”

Randle, a three-time All-Star, has mainly been a power forward throughout his career since he is fairly undersized for a traditional center role at 6-foot-8. But he is a ferocious interior scorer and rebounder and can also stretch a defense with his three-point shot (roughly 34 percent for his Knicks career). The Knicks also now have a big need at center because of Isaiah Hartenstein leaving in free agency. That means that the injury-prone Mitchell Robinson, the still-raw Jericho Sims, and the also-undersized Precious Achiuwa are the only other in-house options at the 5.

The 29-year-old Randle is a bit injury-prone himself and played in just 46 games last season due to a shoulder injury. Thus, it may not be wise for him to see extended run at the physically-taxing center position (as Thibodeau hinted at). But it may be the right move in spurts, especially with the Knicks recently taking a noteworthy stance on Randle.