Tim Connelly knew what he was getting into when he acquired Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns. Part of the rationale was cutting costs to have more flexibility in the Anthony Edwards era, where they will battle against the new CBA tax rules. But they also had to be confident in Randle’s fit on the roster.
On the surface, moving off KAT, a generational floor-spacing big, for an inconsistent three-point shooter in Randle is risky. However, the Wolves have a deep connection between Randle and Chris Finch that they can rely upon.
During Randle’s breakout season in his lone year with the New Orleans Pelicans, Chris Finch was New Orleans’ assistant responsible for the offense. Randle highlighted his connection with Finch in his introductory press conference after the Wolves traded for him:
When I left Finch in New Orleans, I wanted him in New York with me. He is such a great coach. I have always thought he was a genius. He is a great communicator, knows how to get the best out of his players. I remember playing with him there, and I always felt super prepared for the games.
Later, Randle said:
I felt like he opened up my game, and I became a really versatile player. I always saying playing there, even to this point, that was the easiest my game had ever felt, playing under Finch. He is just that good of a coach.
Randle had a long journey to his Pelicans breakout, which led to his success with the New York Knicks.
The Los Angeles Lakers took Randle seventh overall in 2014, and he impressed early. Despite suffering a fractured tibia in his first career game and missing the rest of his rookie season, Randle bounced back in his next three seasons with the Lakers. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in Los Angeles on 49.3/25.7/71.9 shooting splits.
The Lakers were at an impasse when Randle’s rookie contract was up. The new front office planned to move on from the past era with a bigger acquisition in mind: LeBron James.
Because they signed James, the Lakers moved on from Randle. Renouncing his restricted signing rights, making him an unrestricted free agent. The New Orleans Pelicans signed him to a two-year, $18 million contract with a second-year player option.
The 2018-19 Pelicans had a fair amount of talent, rostering Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and Nikola Mirotic alongside Randle. However, their lack of guard play severely limited them. New Orleans finished the season 33-49, 13th in the Western Conference. Despite the turmoil, Randle had a breakout season.
Randle set career highs in points (21.4), 3P attempts per game (3.1), and free-throw attempts per game (6.7). He grew as a scorer, playmaker, and shooter and began showcasing the player he became with the Knicks.
Finch was part of Randle’s breakout season with New Orleans, helping shape him into the All-Star talent he is today. So, how much can he use that background knowledge to help fit Randle into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ offense and overall schematics?
In terms of working with an unconventional roster construction, Finch knows how to get the most out of his players, especially his bigs. Finch managed Towns and Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt in Minnesota and the Davis-Randle frontcourt in New Orleans. He is extremely knowledgeable about incorporating multiple skilled bigs who may have shooting concerns into a modern NBA, where spacing is vital.
Randle was a quick processor with the Pelicans. 87.9% of his shot attempts came within six seconds of receiving the ball, and only 12.1% came more than six seconds after receiving the ball. However, Randle gradually changed that during his Knicks tenure. He evolved into having more calculated possessions when he was the primary scoring option in New York.
However, Randle’s role will change in Minnesota. Edwards needs primary touches, and other players like Jaden McDaniels and Rob Dillingham are hungry to make the most of their offensive opportunities. Therefore, Randle may have to adapt back to his former self. He won’t have as much of an on-ball dominant role with the Wolves.
Randle can still use his playmaking with an off-ball role as a connecting piece. He can be a dynamic threat by building off his scoring gravity to keep the defense guessing. Randle’s mid-post-up opportunities are a play type that he has been effective within that kind of offense, where he can operate as a hub. That allows Randle to have more multifaceted possessions that can flow side to side, allowing him to actively involve his teammates.
Finding more ways to use Randle as a sense of balance will give Minnesota’s up-and-coming supporting cast more opportunities to ease into playing time. That’s mainly due to the Wolves having a deeper and more talented roster than Randle’s early Knicks years and his Pelicans team, making it easier to find synergy early.
Randle will adjust to playing in a flow-oriented offense and various offensive roles. That will push him to more off-ball possessions than he was used to in New York, which ties directly to Randle’s development as a 3P shooter over the back half of his career.
Randle’s season in New Orleans was his first true season where he had 3P volume. Randle had 144 3PA in his 238 GP with the Lakers and 195 3PA in his 71 GP with the Pelicans. Like most players experimenting as 3P shooters, most of Randle’s 3PA with the Pelicans came on catch-and-shoot attempts. Randle attempted 145 C&S 3P shots in New Orleans.
With the Knicks, Randle developed a more balanced 3P volume between his pull-up and C&S jumpers. Suppose he can bring back the reliance upon more C&S attempts. That will make him more efficient while adding more offensive versatility to the Wolves roster, allowing others to shine while keeping Randle actively involved.
Bringing in Randle is a bold move, typical of what Connelly has done since taking over the Wolves. A successful equation exists to unlock Randle offensively while keeping the existing continuity. No coach knows the Wolves schematically and Randle more from a developmental standpoint than Chris Finch.
