Tom Thibodeau feels 'very strongly' about Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson following recent report

A recent report from Yaron Weitzman of the New York Post dug into Tom Thibodeau’s start with the Knicks, highlighting that that coach “was hardly sold” on Julius Randle, while also seeing the potential to flip RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson – two of the team’s most promising young players – for veteran players.

Speaking for the first time since the Knicks broke for the All-Star break, Thibodeau was asked about reportedly not being sold on Randle while seeing a path to trade Barrett and Robinson, and while he wouldn’t comment on the exact reporting, Thibodeau said that weighing the pros and cons is something all teams do, especially when a new front office and head coach are put in place.

“When you come in and take a job -- Leon (Rose) and (William Wesley) have done an unbelievable job and how we were going to go about our business. We looked at and studied the team, played out the pros and cons on everything we could do,” Thibodeau explained. “We’re very pleased. And I feel very strong about all three of those guys. I’ve made that clear all along.

“I haven’t seen the article so I can’t comment on it. I know I feel very strongly about those three players."

Randle, of course, has been simply excellent, earning his first All-Star nod thanks to his averages of 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.

Barrett, meanwhile, has been inconsistent at certain points, but as a whole he’s upped his game during his second season, averaging 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting a noticeably improved 35.0 percent from three-point range.

And as for Robinson, before going down with a fractured right hand, the 22-year-old big man looked like a perfect fit to anchor Thibodeau’s defense, averaging 8.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

Thibodeau is clearly pleased with the play he’s gotten from players like Randle, Barrett, and Robinson, but there’s also no doubting that the Knicks will be on the hunt to potentially add an impact player (or players) before the March 25 trade deadline.

“That’s a Leon question,” Thibodeau responded when asked if the Knicks are looking for help at the deadline. “Look, I have a strong bias towards good players. I know they’re looking at all the possibilities.

“If something makes sense for us, we’ll do it. If not, I love the team that we have. I love the guys that we have on the team. We’ll just keep working with what we have and Leon and Wes, they’re combing the league, Scott Perry, that’s their job.”