Three hours before his first home game at Target Center, Julius Randle maneuvered through the streets of Minneapolis in his Range Rover, passing by First Avenue before pulling into the team garage on North 7th Street while thinking about his pregame goals.
“Just continue to build,” Randle said in his YouTube video. “Every game is about building. For me, it’s just about continuing to build the right habits throughout the season on a personal level and team level, just making sure I am doing what I need to do.”
The crowd roared and gave Randle a standing ovation before he put up 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on 9 of 16 shooting in his 36-minute home debut. He hung 33 points on the Sacramento Kings in the game prior on a blazing 13 of 17 from the floor. Randle’s play cultivated excitement amongst the fanbase after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade blindsided them.
However, Minnesota’s 111-103 season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was a different story. Randle recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on 5 of 10 from the floor. The Wolves did not have the necessary energy level to win under the bright lights of LA, Randle included.
The former New York Knicks star had three inconsistent performances to start his Wolves campaign. He played passively in LA, which made sense because the Knicks traded him days before training camp. Still, it left a bad taste in the fanbase’s mouth. Then, Randle was an unstoppable scorer in Sacramento before playing balanced in his first home game.
Randle replaced Towns, who gave the Wolves 21.8 points per game last season. Did the Wolves need Randle to fill the void KAT left by being a polarizing scorer? Or did they need him to focus more on being a point forward who keeps the offense flowing?
He can be either player. However, Julius didn’t know who he needed to be immediately, nor did the coaching staff. Finding the three-time All-Star’s fit has been a learning process that has gone in phases and required trial and error.
Randle was a heightened version of the balanced player he was in Minnesota’s home opener on Wednesday in Charlotte and again in the Wolves’ latest game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. His balanced playstyle has been a common theme since he rejoined the team on March 2 after missing 13 games with a groin strain.
“He started out playing a lot like this when he first started playing in training camp,” Finch said after Minnesota’s 125-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets. “We told him he needed to score more, which we thought we did. He has had some really good scoring games for us, but as it turns out, what we probably needed more was just this – these all-around games that he’s been giving us.”
Anthony Edwards has repeatedly said that he wants Randle to be the player who dropped 57 points on the Wolves two seasons ago. The morning of Randle’s 33-point outburst against the Kings, Ant told him, “Don’t fit around us. We will fit around you.”
Edwards has always gone out of his way to boost his teammates’ confidence. There is a good chance he genuinely thought fitting around Randle was the right move. However, Ant’s comments — and seemingly his belief — probably fed into the fit issues that the Timberwolves experienced before Randle’s injury.
Randle dished out nine assists, tying a then-season-high, against the Hornets. He also dropped 25 points on 8 of 18 from the floor and hauled in 10 rebounds. Randle created 49 points, 24 of which came from his nine assists. Jaden McDaniels was the primary beneficiary, receiving five assists from Randle, which resulted in 12 of McDaniels’ 29 points.
The Wolves were 5-8 during Randle’s absence. Still, they found productive offense and stopped turning the ball over at a high rate. McDaniels also blossomed into Edwards’ right-hand man again, averaging 18.5 points and 8.4 rebounds on 14.8 field goal attempts.
There was rightful concern that Julius returning to the lineup would obstruct Minnesota’s offense and revert McDaniels to exclusively spacing from 3, which was detrimental to his success. However, Randle was figuring out the player Finch needed him to be before he got hurt and put the pieces together while he was out.
Now, Randle is actualizing the player he has needed to be all along.
“I think it happened in phases,” Randle told reporters after the Hornets game. “I was able to sit out and just evaluate and figure out how I can put it all together. It’s been an adjustment, whether it’s playing off the ball more, cutting, setting screens, attacking when I have [the ball], or playmaking. Whatever it is that coach needs from me. Just recognizing those moments and situations and trying to execute it as best as I can.”
In the five games since Randle has returned to the lineup, he is averaging 17.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.2 assists on 46.9% from the floor. More importantly, the Wolves are an NBA-tying-best 5-0 in that span and have outscored their opponents (Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Hornets, Miami Heat, and Spurs) by 30 points with Randle on the floor.
They also rank first in 3-point attempts since Randle has returned, first in 3-point makes, and first in 3-point percentage. Some of Minnesota’s increased success from deep is because Donte DiVincenzo also returned from injury, but it is largely an example of the looks Randle has created.
His presence on the court contrasts with what it was early in the season. Randle has played with a consistent pace, both in transition and in the half-court. He has had the tools to play fast through all his stops in the NBA, and good things usually happen when he does. Julius began to lean into that playstyle immediately before his injury, but he didn’t do it regularly enough over his first 40 games in Minnesota.
Randle is still getting to his shot (he’s averaging 12.8 shot attempts since returning) by operating in one-on-one situations. However, the offense keeps flowing when he does, and those around him remain involved.
His isolation attempts bogged down the offense early in the season, occasionally resulting in demoralizing black-hole possessions. However, when Randle operates in isolation now, Minnesota’s offense is far from doomed. Instead, he is making more of an effort to punish mismatches, such as taking non-agile centers off the bounce on the perimeter or backing down smaller guards or forwards around the rim. All the while, his head remains up – scanning the floor – ready to zip a pass to anyone who may be open.
“I tell [Randle] all the time, ‘Go, just go,’” Edwards said. “‘Take your jumpers, take your stepbacks. Any time you get them, just be aggressive.’ When we used to play him in New York, he used to give us 50.”
Edwards would jump up and down, giving Randle multiple chest bumps and forceful high-fives while waving his white towel if Julius dropped 50 points. Minnesota would probably win that game handily, unlike what happened the last time Randle dropped a 50-burger, and fans would get goosebumps. However, that isn’t what the Wolves need from him.
Minnesota poured in its most points of the season on Sunday in a 141-124, wire-to-wire win against the Spurs. They recorded 38 assists on 53 field goal makes while turning it over 12 times. In what was arguably their best offensive showing of the season – albeit against a team 10 games below .500 that was missing Victor Wembanyama – Randle set the table for the rest of his teammates to eat.
Randle finished with a new season-high 10 assists in 30 minutes. He did not record a single turnover while creating 25 points as the passer on a night where eight players scored double-digit points, further cementing that the coaching staff was wrong early in the season.
Finch and Randle have spoken highly of each other and are confident in their abilities. Now, they are on the same page. The Kentucky Wildcat is presumably in the final phase of his season. The Wolves hope it will be filled with many games like the one they saw in Charlotte and against the Spurs, where Randle’s passing popped, and multiple players went for double-digit points.
The Wolves enter each game with the mindset that it is more important for them than their opponent. With how close the standings are, Finch believes the playoffs have already started for them. Randle is entering the final phase of his season at the perfect time as the Wolves try to make a push out of the Play-In.
“It’s all about winning,” Randle said Sunday night. “Whatever this team needs. If this is the version that this team needs, then I want to do that every single night to help us get as many wins as possible, make the biggest run we can make.”
