LIVING SPACE
OG's presence in starting lineup allows Randle to thrive in Knicks' offense
More space for Julius Randle means a better Julius Randle.
Though he hasn’t garnered the most attention in recent weeks, the Knicks’ star forward might be the biggest beneficiary of the team’s late-December blockbuster deal with the Raptors. The Knicks acquired OG Anunoby as well as Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in the trade in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick.
The Knicks are 9-2 since the deal, and Anunoby’s plus-190 rating on the court is the best in the NBA since Jan. 1. Jalen Brunson has averaged 28.9 points and 8.4 assists since the trade and scored 38 and 41, respectively, in the last two. Those two players have drawn most of the praise recently.
But the recent hot stretch might be most revealing for Randle.
Randle and Barrett were redundant, both ball-dominant lefty scorers who thrive in the lane. With Brunson, Randle and Barrett all on the floor, the Knicks at times struggled with spacing and heavy usage between the three.
But losing Barrett and adding Anunoby to the starting lineup has dramatically helped the Knicks’ spacing. More of a traditional 3-and-D, Anunoby largely operates as a catch-and-shoot wing from outside the perimeter or an aggressive cutter-and finisher, not a heavy dribbler/isolation player like Barrett. It’s provided much more space for Randle, who is averaging 25.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game since the trade.
Though Brunson’s 38 points stole the headlines in the Knicks’ 126-100 win over the Raptors on Saturday night, Randle’s tripledouble — with 18 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists — was the engine.
It was Randle’s first triple-double of the season.
“A triple-double, he just played really hard and tough,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “And [the Raptors] were small, so we did a lot of switching [on defense]. Good job switching, and that’s great value.”
Randle’s creation has been most glaring. Now with Randle and Brunson the more streamlined ball-handlers in the starting unit without Barrett, Randle has the ball in his hands even more and drives more of the offense.
He’s subsequently drawn more double-teams, which has opened things up for the Knicks’ periphery scorers.
“Every time I got it, they were bringing two [defenders],” Randle said after Saturday’s game. “That was kind of my mindset coming in, be aggressive but kind of read and take what the defense is giving me. That’s kind of how I’ve been seeing it the past few games. I’ve been able to score the ball at a high clip. But if they double-team me, I gotta be able to make the right plays.”
Randle has struggled twice since the Anunoby trade. He recorded just eight points on 1-of-11 shooting from the field in the Knicks’ Jan. 5 win over the 76ers, and finished with 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting in the team’s Jan. 15 loss to the Magic.
But the Anunoby trade has largely created even more space on the court for Randle and Brunson. And both have, for the most part, thrived.
“We’re flowing out there,” Brunson said. “I think that chemistry is unexplainable. We’ve been able to flow and feed off each other and try to make plays while also still being aggressive. We’ve been in a groove, so we just gotta continue to keep doing what we’ve been doing, keep giving each other confidence, keep moving forward.”