There are a myriad of ways to enter a new season. Julius Randle apparently opted for the cannon-fired route.
He flirted with a triple double in the opening (17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds). Since then he has scored at least 25 points in each of the three games. He walked New York in points and rebounds (and tied for team leadership in assists) during his 20-point defeat in Milwaukee. Then he beat Cleveland with a triple dubbing of 28 points, 12 aces and 11 cents, getting all four of his three-point attempts in the contest.
That’s how someone shifts the conversation from “good stats on (probably) bad team” to “I don’t care about the record; the guy is an All-Star”. Di He averages best of 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists so far, and that’s a stat line only three players have produced previously.