A legitimate All-Star candidate, Julius Randle is “the engine” driving the Knicks revival.
That’s how Randle was described by veteran teammate Austin Rivers and freshman head coach Tom Thibodeau respectively, after the burgeoning power forward and the sudden triple double threat sent the emerging Knicks to their fifth win in six games Wednesday night against Utah at the Garden. .
The arrival of Thibodeau and an admitted renewed commitment to his conditioning appear to have unlocked a new level of play from Randle, who was signed by the Knicks to a three-year deal worth $ 62.1 million as a free agent in 2019.
The former Kentucky star averages 23.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and notably 7.4 assists per game – while registering the most minutes in the NBA (38.6 mpg) – ahead of Friday’s home game against Oklahoma City.
‘He is our engine. … He does everything, ”said Thibodeau. “Playing great minutes, comes the next day and works, takes care of his body, great with recovery, great in the movie sessions. It is the type of leadership that is invaluable to a team.
“I think if you look at most of the players in this league, there is a progression to becoming that type of player. They just don’t get there overnight. There are steps they need to take along the way, and I think he did. “
The 26-year-old Randle reported to the training camp in early December “in unbelievable form,” added Thibodeau, allowing him to log tough minutes regularly while rookie forward Obi Toppin (calf) remains sidelined.
The Lakers’ seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft averaged 16.1 points and 9.0 boards over its first six NBA seasons. That play also included a one-season stop alongside Anthony Davis in New Orleans before Randle signed with the Knicks.
Randle has never been selected to an All-Star team during his career, but Rivers believes his new teammate has “played at that level” in the Knicks’ first 5-3 start since 2013.
“The biggest surprise to me was his vision, his willingness to succeed and his fitness,” said Rivers, a nine-year veteran, after contributing 14 of his 23 points off the bench in the fourth quarter against Jazz. ‘He’s in incredible shape for doing that. He plays most of the game. He does it on both sides. He’s talking. He has been great to us.
“He plays at All-Star level, you can’t deny that, not at all. So we definitely need him to continue. “
Randle has more than doubled his career assistance output, finishing seventh in the league in that category through Wednesday, averaging just 2.8 over his first 375 career games.
“It’s really fun for me,” Randle said after Wednesday’s game. “To see my teammates get off ball screens or handoffs or if they double me up in the post or whatever it is, to make the right game and hit guys when they are open energizes me and energizes them.
“It only leads to us playing hard for each other in defense. When we all know we’ll come out together and make the right play and passes and just play for each other. It is awesome. We all enjoy it, and I enjoy it too. “