More space for Julius Randle means a better Julius Randle.
Although he hasn't received the most attention in recent weeks, the Knicks' star forward may be the biggest beneficiary of the team's blockbuster deal with the Raptors in late December.
The Knicks acquired OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn in a trade for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a 2024 second-round pick.
The Knicks are 9-2 since signing, and Anunoby's plus-190 rating on the court is the best in the NBA since Jan. 1.
Jalen Brunson has averaged 28.9 points and 8.4 assists since being traded, and has scored 38 points and 41 points in his last two games, respectively.
These are the two players who are getting the most praise these days.
But the recent heatwave may be the most revealing thing for Randle.
Randle and Barrett are redundant, but both are left-handed scorers who dominate the ball and thrive in the lane.
With Brunson, Randle, and Barrett all on the floor, the Knicks struggled at times with spacing and overuse between the three.
However, with the loss of Barrett and the addition of Anunoby to the starting lineup, the Knicks' spacing has improved dramatically.
Anunoby is more of a traditional 3-and-D, primarily as a catch-and-shoot wing from outside the perimeter or as an offensive cutter and finisher, rather than a strong dribbler/isolation player like Barrett. It works.
Randle, who has averaged 25.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game since the trade, was given more space.
Brunson's 38 points stole the show in the Knicks' 126-100 win over the Raptors on Saturday night, but Randle's triple-double (18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) was the driving force. .
It was Randle's first triple-double of the season.
“It's a triple-double. He played really hard and tough,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “and [the Raptors] Because the scale was small, we switched many times. [on defense]. It's a good career change, and it's worth a lot. ”
The Knicks won on Saturday. Jason Suzens of the New York Post
Randall's work was the most brilliant.
Now that Randle and Brunson have added a more streamlined ball-handler to a starting unit without Barrett, Randle has the ball in his hands more and is driving more offense.
He then drew more double teams, which widened things up for the Knicks' perimeter scorers.
“Every time I got one, they brought two.” [defenders]” Randle said after Saturday’s game. “That's kind of been my mindset: be aggressive but read and take what the defense is giving me. That's what I've seen the last few games. Ball at a high clip. But when they double-team me, I have to be able to make the right play.”
Randle has struggled twice since the Anunoby trade.
In the game between the Knicks and the 76ers on January 5th, he scored just 8 points on 1-of-11 shooting, and in the team's loss to the Magic on January 15th, he scored 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting. .
However, the Anunoby trade created more space on the court for Randle and Brunson. And both are growing, most of the time.
“We're flowing out there,” Brunson said. “I don't think you can explain the chemistry. We were able to flow and feed off each other and try to be aggressive and still make plays. We're on a roll, so we just keep doing what we've been doing. , we have to keep giving each other confidence and keep moving forward.”
