Julius Randle has always been a bit of a rollercoaster - and not the kind you casually hop on. For Knicks fans, he was either the King of New York or the guy anchoring the team in all the wrong ways.
Now in his second season with the Timberwolves, that same volatility is playing out in Minnesota. And if Wolves fans didn’t know what they were getting into, they’re learning quickly: with Randle, the highs are real, and so are the lows.
But let’s not get it twisted - at his core, Randle is a productive, impact player. He’s not just filling a stat sheet; he’s helping his team win.
The challenge is that his game is built around volume. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and when you operate that way, even a minor dip in efficiency can feel like a major problem.
A couple percentage points off his shooting, a few more turnovers than usual - it’s not just noticeable, it’s disruptive. Because Randle isn’t the kind of player who fades into the background when he’s off.
He’s always in the middle of the action, for better or worse.
That’s what made his tenure in New York so polarizing. His raw numbers didn’t swing wildly from year to year, but the impact of those numbers did.
Watching him play, you could feel the difference between a good Randle game and a bad one. The stats might look similar, but the vibe?
Completely different. And that’s the experience Timberwolves fans are getting now.
There’s no easing into a quiet night with Randle. When it’s bad, it’s loud.
But when it’s good? It’s loud in all the right ways.
So far this season, Randle’s been solid - not spectacular every night, but steady enough to justify the heavy usage. And that usage is never going away.
That’s just who he is. You live with the clunkers because the ceiling is high enough to make them worth it.
Sure, those off nights can be tough to watch - the missed shots, the forced drives, the turnovers - but they’re part of the package. And the package still includes a guy who can take over a game in multiple ways.
Take Sunday’s win over the Spurs. Randle didn’t just score - he facilitated.
Twelve assists from a power forward who’s often criticized for tunnel vision? That’s the version of Randle that makes coaches smile and defenses scramble.
He doesn’t flash that playmaking every night, but when he does, it’s a reminder of just how much he can bring to the table beyond scoring.
When the Wolves traded for Randle in the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, this is what they were banking on - a high-usage, high-impact forward who could help them push deeper into the playoffs. And he delivered on that promise last year, playing a key role in their run to the Western Conference Finals. He’s not perfect - far from it - but he’s been what Minnesota hoped he would be.
The reality with Julius Randle is this: you don’t get the good without the bad. But more often than not, the good wins out. And when it does, it’s easy to see why teams keep betting on him.