Grading Julius Randle's promising Timberwolves preseason debut

Ever since the last week of September when the Minnesota Timberwolves' roster was altered drastically, fans have been dying to get a glimpse of their new starting power forward in action with the rest of the team. On Wednesday night, they finally got that opportunity.

Julius Randle suited up for his first preseason game of the 2024-25 season against the Chicago Bulls in what was the second-to-last contest of the preseason slate for Minnesota. The Timberwolves ultimately came up short and were defeated 125-123, but Randle had a strong individual showing with all eyes on him.

Donte DiVincenzo was of course the other new face included in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, but Wolves fans had already seen his talents on display over the course of the previous three preseason games. This night was all about Randle, and he delivered with a positively promising performance. Julius played 26 minutes and finished with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal.

By all means, Randle did exactly what he has been expected to do in Wednesday's game. Right from the jump, his physicality and overall strong interior presence were on display.

Randle's debut was a good sign of things to come

Coming off a right shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, it was to be expected that Randle would need to shake off just a little bit of rust. After all, he had not played in an NBA game in any form since January. So when he faded away on Josh Giddey in the paint and came up with an airball on his first shot attempt, it was nothing more than him getting back into rhythm.

Randle showed this to be true the very next time down the floor, where he finished strong with an and-one over the top of Patrick Williams. As the game went on, it was clear that he was comfortable playing exactly where the Timberwolves' coaching staff has envisioned, and he operated in his role as well as could be asked of him in this particular scenario.

When the final buzzer sounded, Julius finished the game with a 50% shooting mark and the second-best plus/minus differential of any Timberwolves starter. He never looked rattled or confused playing with his new teammates, and his performance was indicative of someone who is more than ready to be thrust into this new challenge.

By the numbers and the eye test, Randle did not go off for anything resembling a crazy performance. But his outing was far from a dud, and it should have been an encouraging sight for the Wolves fanbase to see with the regular season less than a week away.

Grade: B+