The start to the 2023-24 NBA regular season has not been what New York Knicks power forward Julius Randle was hoping for. Coming off his second All-Star and All-NBA Second Team campaign in the last three seasons, there was optimism that he would build off of that performance, helping elevate the franchise to another level.
Through 10 games, that has not yet been the case. While Randle’s numbers are starting to tick back up, the Knicks are going to find it difficult to sustain success with how poorly he has been shooting the ball.
On the season, Randle is making only 33.9 percent of his shots overall, converting on an abysmal 25.8 percent from 3-point range. He has struggled at the charity stripe as well, making only 70.1 percent of his free throws. That has led to him averaging 18 points per game, which would be his lowest total since his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017-18.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Julius Randle, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, New York Knicks Updates
All of those shooting numbers are well below his career norms, as a positive regression to the mean should occur sooner rather than later. Despite the low efficiency, Randle is still accomplishing some incredible feats when it comes to counting stats.
Through the first 10 games of the season, Randle has scored 180 points, pulled down 103 rebounds and handed out 49 assists. He is the only player in Knicks’ franchise history with 150+ points, 100+ rebounds and 40+ assists in the first 10 games of an NBA season, and this is the third time he’s accomplished it.
Just how impressive of a feat is that for Randle to have accomplished? In the NBA this season, only reigning MVP Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who won the MVP award the two seasons before Embiid, have reached those plateaus with the Knicks star.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Julius Randle, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, New York Knicks Updates
Despite some frustrating lapses on the court and sometimes inconsistent motor, Randle is chipping in and helping the team win games. If he can get his shooting numbers back on track, which he has been showing signs of in recent games, New York is going to find itself right back among the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
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