How Julius Randle's new approach, and the Jalen Brunson factor, is raising Knicks' ceiling

Running the floor? Moving the ball? 

These are two things you wouldn’t associate with Julius Randle if you watched the Knicks last season. 

But throughout the preseason, Tom Thibodeau kept telling you that Randle was running the floor well. He kept telling you that Randle was moving the ball. 

To the skeptical Knicks fan out there, this may have sounded like empty rhetoric from Thibodeau. A way for the head coach to deflect any early blame from his star. But that kind of skepticism, so far, is unfounded. 

Randle’s approach in transition and in the half-court has been a driving force in New York’s 2-1 start. 

“I love the way he’s diversifying his game,” Thibodeau said after Randle had 25 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in New York’s win over the Orlando Magic. “Sometimes he’s the pace guy, he’ll push it up and then he’ll create movement. Sometimes he just beats people down the floor. Him getting easy baskets is huge for us.”

The numbers support the idea that Randle is helping New York’s offense flow. Last year, he averaged 76.5 touches per game. Through three games this season, he's averaging 62.7 touches. 

Last year, he averaged 2.2 dribbles per touch and 4.1 minutes per game with the ball in his hand. Through three games this season, those numbers were down to 1.48 dribbles per touch and 2.8 minutes per game (all stats courtesy of NBA.com).

Randle cites several factors behind the new approach. One is Jalen Brunson. 

“He just makes the game so much easier for me. If I keep moving, run the floor, he’s always looking to make the right play, so he gets me going,” Randle said Monday. 

Another? Randle and his teammates made an offseason commitment to playing faster. 

“Everybody committed to coming into camp being in the best shape possible. It’s really just a selfless thing,” Randle said. “If I run my lanes and space the floor we’re going to get a good look on offense. It’s contagious.” 

A third? Randle said he learned a lesson from his and the Knicks’ subpar 2021-22 season: the game doesn’t have to be so hard. 

“When you’re constantly. … just going against a set defense (last year), all eyes on you, it’s kind of tough,” Randle said last week. “Just making the game easier (this season), whether it’s transition, letting Jalen, RJ (Barrett) and those guys create for me, you’re going to expend a lot less energy.” 

If it looks like the game is easier right now for Randle, like he’s having a little more fun, it’s because he is.

“It’s, I feel like, more free and fun to play, if I’m not just hanging in the backcourt looking for the ball, but running and making motion,” he said.

This is the approach the Knicks need from Randle this season. Running the floor, moving the ball, and making it difficult for defenses to key on himself or any of his teammates. In the previous two seasons, Randle was the Knicks’ engine on offense. It couldn’t have worked better in 2020-21 when New York finished with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. But the engine stalled too often in 2021-22.

Now, New York plays through Brunson, Barrett, Randle and others. Their success doesn’t hinge on whether Randle is making shots and plays on a given night.

“I'm just trying to lose myself in the team. Lean on guys like [Brunson], RJ, just play for my team,” Randle said on Monday. “The only thing that matters is winning. That's all I care about.”

As you’d expect, Thibodeau loves what he sees so far.

“I think him running the floor the way he’s running the floor, him moving without the ball the way he’s moving, it’s creating (scenarios) where teams can’t lock into him,” the coach said Monday. “He can use his speed, he can use his quickness, he can use his power and when he beats people down the floor, those layups – we need those layups. 

"And oftentimes, he may not even get (a layup) but it’s created such a force on their defense, they collapse and it opens up wide-open threes or different opportunities.”

Through three games, Randle and the Knicks are taking advantage of those opportunities. If this trend continues, it could change the ceiling for the player and the team this season.