Julius Randle was once the New York Knicks’ franchise player, responsible for returning the storied franchise to playoff relevancy. Now, the Kentucky product could be forced to sacrifice and share his role as the Knicks’ clear-cut No. 2 option in 2024-25.
Randle averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and five assists in 2023-24. While his numbers earned him an All-Star nod in 2024, he did not have as good a season as they suggest on paper. Add to that his well-documented struggles in the playoffs and the many trade rumors he was involved in this summer, and the Knicks could look to one of their newest additions, and another one of their most impactful players from a year ago as two options that could shoulder the offensive workload behind All-Star Jalen Brunson next time out.
Will Julius Randle remain the Knicks’ second scoring option?
The Athletic’s Fred Katz had this to say about how the Knicks could run their offense through Randle, or Mikal Bridges in 2024-25 depending on what the situation calls for, both of which would be beneficial to the franchise:
“Crunchtime will be Brunson’s, no different than in years past,” Katz wrote. “But on some nights, he might not have it. On others, he may jog up the court with flames on his back, hot enough that defenses bend toward him every possession to get the basketball out of his hands. On those evenings, the Knicks might need another perimeter player to initiate the offense. That could be Mikal Bridges’ chance to stand out. On others, like if a defense is blitzing Brunson in pick-and-rolls, sending two defenders in his direction when a teammate sets a screen for him, it may be Randle’s turn.”
Does Mikal Bridges have enough experience as a featured scorer to be the Knicks’ No. 2 guy?
Bridges showed that he could be a 25 PPG performer, as he put up 26.1 points a night for the Brooklyn Nets in his first taste of action in Kings County back in 2022-23. However, that was only in 27 games. Over a full 82 games as the Nets’ franchise player, the 27-year-old put up 19.6 points. While that’s not an average to scoff at, the Nets did not have many players who posed a threat to him as the alpha dog of the franchise, save Cam Thomas and his 22.5 PPG.
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Will OG Anunoby be more aggressive on offense in 2024-25?
Outside of Bridges, the Knicks also have Donte DiVincenzo, who averaged 15.5 points per game in his debut season with the Knicks last year and 25.3 PPG in the 12 games he played 40 or more minutes in. Howbeit, DiVincenzo will likely be coming off the bench next season, leaving OG Anunoby as the only other option to take up a secondary role in the Knicks’ offense.
The British defensive stalwart is an efficient scorer, having connected on 48.9 percent of his looks from the field and 38.2 percent of his attempts from outside. Though, Anunoby only took 11.5 shots per contest in 2023-24. The Knicks will see Randle and Bridges demand anywhere from 16-18 shots a night each, but Anunoby can throw a monkey wrench in that if he hits the ground running to begin the next campaign the same way he did to begin his Knicks tenure.
Ultimately, it will boil down to Bridges and Anunoby as Randle’s biggest threats in 2024-25. It appears that the Knicks will be in good hands with all of their services, but time will tell if that comes to fruition or not.
