New York Knicks: Is Julius Randle a fundamental building block?

The New York Knicks and Julius Randle as a building block.  

The New York Knicks have been one of the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference this season. Approaching the halfway mark of the 2020-21 NBA season, the Knicks are seventh in the conference at 14-16 and just 1.5 games back of the fourth seed.

One big part of the team’s early-season success is Julius Randle. Through the team’s first 30 games of the season, Randle has been the Knicks’ best player and leading scorer. In his second season with the Knicks, Randle is on his way to having the best season of his career thus far.

Randle is averaging 23 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from 3-point range. He’s one of the biggest reasons why the Knicks are currently in a playoff race in the East.

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Should the New York Knicks view Julius Randle as a building block?

The big question for New York moving forward, however, revolves around whether or not Julius Randle should be viewed as a fundamental piece for the team moving forward.

For a team such as the Knicks, that is still trying to build towards being a consistent playoff threat, this is an important question. And something that they need to answer sooner rather than later considering Randle is an expiring contract after next season.

On the surface, you wouldn’t expect an undersized power forward to be viewed as a building block for a franchise – and part of the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers were so willing to move him so early in his development.

Not even the New Orleans Pelicans were sold on him being a valuable player in the NBA, or at least not at the number that the Knicks valued him at. Nevertheless, in his seventh season, Randle is making a strong case for being a franchise cornerstone.

Or, at the very least, a franchise supporting cornerstone.

Randle is just 26 years old and falls in line with New York’s young core of RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. With Tom Thibodeau now at the helm, there’s no question that he wants to win sooner rather than later. Randle, at this point in his progression, will help on that front and reinforce that idea.

Randle has also improved in other areas of his game that make him much more than just an undersized power forward. Randle is now a better-than-average 3-point shooter (41%) and is averaging a career-high in assists this season, all while being 10th in rebounding in the NBA.

Now that he’s scoring as an elite player too, you can’t deny that Randle is emerging as a key cog for the Knicks. A lot of decision-making this summer will depend on how this season ends for the Knicks, but if Julius Randle can keep this team in the midst of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference, there’s no question that New York should consider Randle as a fundamental building block moving forward.

As Barrett and Robinson continue to make strides in their respective games, and with Randle playing at an insanely high level, there’s no question that New York is well on its way to consistent relevance in the Eastern Conference – and the NBA as a whole – once again.