Julius Randle has wasted no time making an impression in Brooklyn.
His preseason start with the Nets has been strong enough to catch the eye of coach Jordi Fernandez, even as the conversation around Randle keeps circling back to what happened in Minnesota. There, he spent time being cast as part of the problem during the Timberwolves’ last two postseason runs, with the turnovers piling up and the shot-making not always there when it mattered most.
That’s the backdrop for a few recent comments from Timberwolves coach Chris Finch that can be read a couple different ways. Finch has defended Randle before, but this time he sounded like he was talking about the bigger mood around his team and, maybe unintentionally, about a player who has been at the center of so much scrutiny.
“We referred to ourselves as a moody team in the last couple of years at times, and it’s probably gotten in our way,” Finch said, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. "We’ve traded moodiness for giddiness, so we’ve got to kind of get back to some sort of equilibrium. But it’s been fun to go to work every day so far.”
Then Finch shifted to LaMelo Ball, who is set to pair with Anthony Edwards and give the Timberwolves a new look in the backcourt.
“He’s always in a great mood," Finch said. "Always comes in smiling.
He and Anthony have a shared quality: They’re really hard to stay mad at. And they do some things that you want to get mad at.
They have a reflective joy, and I think that’s important. They tease the joy out of each other as practice goes along.
So, that kind of adds to the overall spirit of the group, which we really needed.”
Randle has always been the kind of player who can swing a game either way. When he’s pressing, the mistakes can snowball. When he’s locked in, he gives a team exactly what Brooklyn has been missing: a real downhill force with the ball, someone who can bend a defense and create easier looks for everyone else.
That’s why the Nets shouldn’t be in a hurry to move him. They’ve gone without a true go-to option for too long, and Randle looks like he may be settling in nicely back in New York City, even if the jersey is a different color this time. If that energy sticks, Brooklyn could end up with a lot more than a hot preseason stretch.
In Other News...
Michael Porter Jr. Voices A Frustration Nets Fans Know Too Well
Michael Porter Jr. has only been in Brooklyn long enough to notice something Nets fans have been saying for a while: home games do not always feel like home games. Speaking recently, Porter pointed to the way opposing supporters can take over the building and said the Nets need more of their own crowd noise if they want a real home-court edge. It is the kind of observation that tends to land differently when it comes from a new arrival, because it underscores just how much the atmosphere still has to grow.
The timing also fits with a roster that is trying to reset its image and its expectations, including the recent addition of Julius Randle. Porter and Randle both know the conversation around attendance and energy changes fast when a team starts winning more consistently, and that is the larger point hanging over Brooklyn right now. The Nets can add talent, but they still have to give the fan base enough reason to fill those seats and make the arena sound like it belongs to them. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan Traore Is Giving Nets Fans A Real Rotation Debate
The early preseason has given the Nets a little something to think about beyond the usual conditioning and lineup tinkering. Nolan Traore and Noah Clowney have both flashed enough to stand out even as the team continues sorting out roles and minutes, and Traore in particular has made a strong impression in limited playing time. For a Brooklyn group still in the middle of evaluating what fits, those kind of performances tend to matter more than the box score suggests.
Traores play has already put him in an interesting spot heading into Wednesdays action, because he has forced himself into the conversation as Brooklyns rotation takes shape. The challenge now is that the competition for minutes is only going to get tighter as the season moves forward, and the Nets will have to decide how much weight to give a preseason surge when the roster is healthy and the pecking order starts to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Noah Clowney Is Forcing A Big Nets Decision
Noah Clowney has turned a quiet preseason opportunity into a real conversation for the Nets, showing the kind of steady production that can make a young player hard to ignore. Brooklyn has liked what it has seen from the big man, who has been scoring efficiently and moving the ball well in recent games, and coach Jordi Fernndez has also pointed to the consistency Clowney is bringing to the floor.
The rise comes at exactly the right time for a player trying to carve out a larger role, because the front office now has a decision to make on his future with the team. External analysts have also been encouraged by the way Clowney has looked, noting both his potential and the way he fits with Brooklyns plans, which makes the next step feel like more than just a routine roster call. [Read more 🡒]