The Villanova Knicks have been the talk of the town since they made the blockbuster trade to land Mikal Bridges. Now that the team is flooded with talent at all positions, pundits and fans are wondering what brand of basketball will be on display at Madison Square Garden next season. However, Matt Barnes thinks it will be a style of basketball not suited to the strengths of Julius Randle.
Barnes was on SiriusXM’s NBA Radio when he touched on Randle’s fit in New York. “Will Julius buy into what he saw while he was out?” questioned the 2017 NBA champion.
Last season, a shoulder dislocation kept the forward out for 36 regular season games and the entirety of the playoffs. Surprisingly, the Knicks went 21-15 without him and even made it all the way to the Conference Semi-Finals. This is why Barnes worries that Randle could mess with the team’s existing groove.
“Obviously, this team was able to make a run, and really found their rhythm… We all know Julius is someone that demands the ball… Can he fit into this style of offense?“
Barnes added how the Knicks’ postseason run came without any clear second option behind Jalen Brunson. He believed that Randle could be that second option who consistently gives the team 20 points. “But will he buy into the style of play?” Matt Barnes wondered.
In 2022-23, Julius Randle had the best offensive season of his career while playing 77 games, his highest mark since he was with the Lakers. But his style of play has always been sort of old-school.
Randle likes to have the ball in his hands and doesn’t do much from beyond the arc. With his limited playing time alongside OG Anunoby, has several media personalities doubting the former lottery pick’s future in New York.
Jeff Teague called Randle a “ball stopper” for the Knicks
During the Club 520 podcast, Teague was joined by Knicks and Randle fan, Joe Budden. He disagreed with the former rapper that the Knicks should sign Julius to a supermax. “I just think [the Knicks] can get some value from [Julius Randle] cuz y’all play so much better without him. Y’all play so much freer without him,” Jeff Teague proclaimed.
While there is some truth to this, at least from the eye test, the numbers don’t necessarily back it up. The Knicks had a better record when Randle was healthy last season and they were scoring more points per 100 possessions with him on the court. After the OG Anunoby trade, the Knicks went 14-2 when their three star players were fully healthy. As such, it does feel like a case of smoke without any fire.
Randle is a great playmaker at his position and, in a way, his more traditional style can work in New York because they have so many scrappy, three-point shooting, versatile wings to surround him with.
Just because Randle doesn’t play like the Knicks we saw in his absence, doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t create advantages for the team. However, the rumor mill has been churning hard since the Mikal Bridges trade.
With so much high-earning talent, the Knicks are yet to re-sign Randle, who has been eligible for a 4-year $181 million extension since August 31st. After the 2024-25 season, the power forward can exercise his player option or enter free agency.
