While summer addition Jalen Brunson was a big part of why the team made the semifinals in 2023, one player who deserves much of the credit for the New York Knicks‘ comeback is Julius Randle. In the two seasons leading up to the postseason, Randle was an All-Star and played as one of the top 20 players in the sport.
The 28-year-old’s other two seasons in New York frustrated Knicks fans. In his debut year, he fell short of hopes of being a major addition in the summer of 2019, and last season he took a notable step back in production and played a big part in their final 37- 45.
In a new edition of the “Hoops Hype Podcast,” Michael Scotto revealed that there are some in the Knicks’ front office who “appreciate his tenacity and his ability to stay on the field” in the current era of load management. New York Daily News Knicks writer Stefan Bondy added to the conversation by saying it may be difficult for the team to trade him for similar value because “I think they’re going to have a hard time finding value for him in how they value him. “