Last year, he averaged 1.41 passes per minute. This season, he’s averaging 2.02 passes per minute, according to NBA.com tracking data.
Here’s what Reggie Bullock said on Wednesday when he was asked about any difference he’s seen in Randle this season when compared to last year:
“I think it’s a lot different from last year. Obviously, coach (Tom Thibodeau) is putting him in great position to be able to find other players when they collapse on him on defense. He’s a talented offensive player that’s going to draw double teams. I think this year he’s doing the right thing, finding his teammates, not forcing anything. And he’s continuing to get better,” Bullock said. “Obviously, he’s one of the leaders on this team and we need for him to make plays for others – and players on the wing like me, that’s been able to knock down shots and defend on the other end. So I think he’s a great player for us this year and he’s learned a lot from being here last year to be able to (do) what he can do for this team this year.”
Randle is averaging 3.7 turnovers per game this season, up from 3.0 last year. He’s averaging 2.5 more turnovers per 100 plays this season than he did last season, per Basketball-Reference. Randle’s turnovers hurt New York last season and, you’d think, will continue to hinder New York this season if they remain at the current level.
But Randle’s scoring, passing and rebounding have been very strong over the Knicks’ first three games. If those trends continue, Randle may put together a strong second season in New York after a subpar year in 2019-20.
After the Knicks missed out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency in 2019, they pivoted to signing established players to short-term deals. Their biggest signing was Randle, who agreed to a 3-year, $62 million contract.
Prior to the 2020 trade deadline, New York had discussions with other teams about deals that included Randle, as SNY reported. There was a ton of speculation about New York trading Randle in the 2020 offseason as the Knicks re-tooled the roster under team president Leon Rose.
No deal came to fruition, obviously. So Randle is still on the roster and is arguably Thibodeau’s best player. He’s played well through the season’s first three games. If that trend continues, both Randle and the coaching staff will deserve credit. But it’s also worth noting that Randle was trying to adjust to a bigger role last season (Knicks asked him to be a leader, share the ball, create shots for others, etc). Randle hadn’t been asked to do those things previously. He certainly didn’t thrive in the role last season, particularly early in the year. I think adjusting to the role contributed to some of his subpar play.
Randle said during 2020 training camp that he learned a lot about being a leader and the No. 1 guy on an NBA team last season. Maybe that learning experience last season is part of the reason he’s been more effective so far this year.
