Julius Randle isn’t pretending Brooklyn’s path looks anything like the one he just left behind.
The new Nets forward arrived this offseason after two years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he was part of a group competing for championships. Brooklyn, by contrast, is coming off a 20-62 season in 2025-26 and is widely expected to improve only modestly next year, with a jump to around 30 wins more in line with the current reality than a run to the NBA Finals.
Still, Randle sounds bought in. Speaking to the media in Las Vegas over the weekend, he framed the situation as less about the outside expectations and more about how the group handles each night.
"I really think it’s just mindset and approach. The league is more balanced than it has ever been. Every game is a different game, every game matters," Randle said to the media in Las Vegas over the weekend.
He added that the contrast from Minnesota is obvious, but not discouraging.
"So, it's different obviously than the team I was on, than I was at in Minnesota; but I believe in our team. I believe in the talent that we have," Randle continued.
"And I think it's really just how we approach every single game. It's really about what we believe as a group and not the outside noise or the expectation.
It’s our expectation amongst ourselves, and what we believe as a group."
Randle, 31, is coming off another productive season with the Timberwolves, averaging 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 48.1% from the field and 31.5% from three in 79 games.
Minnesota sent Randle and the No. 28 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, forward Joshua Jefferson, to Brooklyn in exchange for the No. 33 pick as part of its offseason return.
Now Randle goes from playing next to Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert to lining up with players such as Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin. Brooklyn is also leaning into the growth of younger pieces like Demin and guard Mikel Brown Jr., but Randle’s message has stayed consistent: he likes the talent in the room, and he thinks the real test will come when training camp starts and the team begins shaping its habits for the season ahead.
In Other News...
Nets Sign Joshua Jefferson To Multi-Year Deal With Real Rookie Buzz
The Nets have locked in another piece of their young core, signing forward Joshua Jefferson to a multi-year deal after taking him with the 28th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Jefferson arrives in Brooklyn with a reputation that stretches well beyond draft night, built over four college seasons at Saint Marys and Iowa State, where he became one of the more versatile forwards in the country.
His rsum includes All-America Second Team and All-Big 12 First Team honors, plus a standout 2025-26 season that put him in rare company nationwide. Jefferson led Division I in triple-doubles and set a Big 12 mark for multiple triple-doubles in conference play, the kind of production that gives the Nets a different sort of frontcourt option as they continue shaping the roster around their latest wave of talent. [Read more 🡒]
Joshua Jefferson Just Got His First Real Nets Test
Joshua Jefferson finally got a real look in a Nets uniform in Las Vegas, and it came only after the trade that brought Julius Randle to Brooklyn was officially finalized on Friday. The rookie forward made his Summer League debut with nine points and two steals, giving the Nets a first glimpse of a player whose passing and feel are part of what intrigued them in the first place.
For Jefferson, it was also his first competitive game since March after an injury interrupted his spring and kept him from even getting practice reps. He sounded confident about how his game can translate into Brooklyns rotation, especially with the way he sees the floor and keeps the ball moving, but the bigger question is where that skill set fits once the roster is set and the minutes start getting divided up. [Read more 🡒]