To say that Julius Randle played out of his mind would be a huge understatement. I refuse to believe that the man who wears number 30 this season is the same man who wears number 30 last year.
As we all know, I hypothetically tried to swap Julius Randle with the highest bidder more times than I can count. In some places, I’ve been willing to accept an overpriced hot dog and a bag of peanuts from a Madison Square Garden concession stand in exchange for a one-way ticket that ships Julius out of town – the amount of eggs on my face could feed a small village.
In 4 games, he led the attacking charge for a total of 23.7 points, 10 rebounds and 6.3 assists with an average of nearly 36 minutes per night. What surprised me the most was his consistency in hitting the 3-ball, achieving an incredible 69% in the year, making 9 of his 13 attempts. His plus-minus for the Cavs game was only +4, but that’s because he played 44 wicked minutes.
This level of play will not only earn Randle a nice new contract, but will also consider him for his first All-Star appearance, which would earn him a well-deserved $ 900,000 bonus from his current contract. The $ 19.8 million he’ll earn next year is starting to look like a bit of a bargain, and while the Knicks may still be looking to move him before the trade deadline, keeping him in New York looks like it might be the best option ever since now.