Julius Randle expects to improve efficiency as Knicks look to build on last season

CHARLESTON, SC – Julius Randle expects to improve in an important area of his game this season.

“I think my efficiency will be a lot better this year,” Randle said Tuesday. “I think I understand the game at a higher level, so I think it will allow me to be a more efficient player, for sure."

Randle believes his shot selection, shooting efficiency and general efficiency will increase this season, his 10^th in the NBA.

“I’m always going to keep improving my game. But (my) understanding of what I’m trying to get to out there, I think my understanding is a lot clearer, for sure,” Randle said after the Knicks’ first training camp practice.

The two-time All-NBA player set a career high in three-point attempts last season (8.3), nearly three more than his previous high. Randle isn’t looking to set a new high this season, but he enters the year with a sharper idea of "which ones are good ones (and) which ones are bad ones."

A more efficient Randle can only help the Knicks. Randle and Jalen Brunson adjusted well to each other last season, when the Knicks surprisingly won 47 games and a playoff series. Randle’s true shooting percentage (58.1) bounced back last season after taking a serious dip in 2021-22. If Randle can get better shots and hit them at a higher rate this year, he’d obviously put more pressure on opposing defenses.

That would be a welcome wrinkle for a Knicks offense that ranked fourth in efficiency in the regular season, but dead last in the postseason among teams that advanced to the second round.

QUICK TWITCH

Immanuel Quickley seemed to add some strength to his frame in the offseason. He said he worked five-to-six days a week on his strength and taking care of his body with trainer Reese Whitely. Quickley’s strength has increased each offseason. He was able to finish amid contact regularly last season and use his frame on defense.

What did he add this season?

“Functional strength, ability to move, ability to just … do a lot of different things on the floor,” he said. “Being able to guard is something that I try to continue to improve on so I’ll be able to stay on the floor.”

Quickley will be one of the main ball-handers in the Knicks’ second unit. Tom Thibodeau said on Monday that Quickley and Donte DiVincenzo can be interchangeable in the back court. The same goes for Josh Hart. It will be a new look for a group that was effective on both sides of the ball for stretches of the 2022-23 regular season but struggled to produce in the playoffs.

“We’ll be very different, but I think we’ll be very effective,” Quickley said. “Donte adds a totally different piece to what we do, his shooting, his defense, his toughness — a lot like Josh in that he can do a lot of pretty much everything on the floor. Defensively I think we’ll be really good, especially our second unit just the switching we can do, the versatility we’ll have. It’ll be interesting.”

WORLD CUP IMPACT

Jalen Brunson answered questions about many topics on media day. But he didn’t want to talk in detail about his on-court experience with Team USA. Who would? Team USA finished a disappointing fourth place in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. But Brunson did say that there were off-court benefits from his time with Team USA that he can bring to the Knicks.

“Playing with those guys was a great experience,” Brunson said. “Understanding what those players are like and what those coaches are like, it’s going to make it a lot easier to understand their philosophy when we’re playing against them now.

“Yeah, we get to know each other, play for a common goal. But … when you get back to the NBA, you understand how people think and how they click and all that other stuff. It’s a win-win situation. You understand a lot so you gain a lot from the relationships you make.”