The New York Knicks made several off-season signings, but the most influential will likely be former New Orleans pelicans, Julius Randle.
His influence will likely be more significant than Marcus Morris’s, as he is an offensive player who is an average defender is well. His power will come in many different ways, one of which is as a veteran leader for the younger players on a team like Kevin Knox and RJ Barrett.
The Knicks were coming off a 17-65 record in 2018, but they built their 15 man roster for 2019-20 To compete for a playoff spot. The probability of them reaching the postseason is low considering the lack of chemistry and remaining youth, but the NBA is full of surprises and you never know who could go on a run.
Randle, who signed a two year, $17.71 million contract, has a player option for the second season, which gives him the ability to remain with the team or to take his talents elsewhere. With the Pelicans, Randle was productive, especially after Anthony Davis requested a trade. He went from averaging 19.9 points on 13.4 shots per game to 24.2 points on 17.6 shots per game, shooting nearly 50% and 36.4% on three-pointers.
The Knicks have paid him to be their top scorer and most impactful player, and that is what they need him to be if they want to reach the postseason and change the entire course of the franchise.
He is guaranteed a starting position and will be the focal point of their offense as the Knicks look to develop players like Barrett and Knox further. Unlike last season, the team will have the support to weather better opponents and not have to rely on their youthful players that don’t have the experience to match up.
One of the more exciting aspects of Randle is that his three-point percentage increased by nearly 10% in one season. On 144 for three-point attempts from 2015-18, he had on 25.7%, and last season he had 194 attempts and connected on 34.4%.
While Julius’s offensive production is impressive, I am very excited to see what he has to offer to the young players on the team. He can be a voice in the locker room and a leader on the court.