Julius Randle's approach may have saved season for Knicks, who pondered major shakeup

The shortened rotation. A healthy Quentin Grimes. The steadying presence of Jalen Brunson. A stingy defense.

Plenty of factors are behind the Knicks’ seven-game winning streak.

One that may get overlooked? Julius Randle’s mentality.

Randle’s numbers have been hard to miss. Over the past seven games, he’s averaging 26.7 points and 11.4 rebounds.

One of the keys to his strong play of late? Randle’s approach to the game.

"Just trying to be more invested and in tune with what’s going on with our team," Randle said last week. "How can I help my guys? How can I make the best plays for my team? Next-play mentality. So the more I focus on that, the more the outside distractions become (unimportant)."

Last year, the outside distractions seemed to impact Randle and the Knicks. Randle wasn’t hitting shots in the same way he did in 2020-21, when he lifted New York to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.

He got into it publicly with fans. His production dipped. The Knicks failed to meet expectations.

But it’s been a different story this year. Over the past two weeks, Randle has been a key to New York’s resurgence. He’s playing within himself, engaged on switches in pick-and-roll defense and hitting shots when the Knicks need him to (Randle went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 45 seconds of New York’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday).

The production of late has changed the season for the Knicks. After their last loss -- a blowout defeat to the Dallas Mavericks -- there was speculation (grounded in reality) that the club was a few defeats away from a major shakeup.

Some people around the league certainly saw blood in the water. Even before that Dallas loss, people around one top Eastern Conference executive tried to convey through back channels that they would be the right candidate for the team president’s role if Leon Rose were to be fired.

Internally, the Knicks were well aware that things were teetering. Before this most recent winning streak, someone from the club reached out to the Toronto Raptors to ask about trading for OG Anunoby. That’s a trade that would come at a significant cost -- it’s not a move you make unless you know you have to shake up your roster.

Obviously, the Knicks are not on the same shaky ground today that they were earlier in the month. Seven straight wins can stabilize things in pro sports. And Randle has been in the middle of it, taking it all one possession at a time.

"Just making the right play," Randle said. "If they’re going to put two on the ball, there’s an advantage for us and a play to be made. Just make the correct play."

Lately, he’s done that again and again. And it may have changed the direction of this Knicks season.