When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Julius Randle from the New York Knicks, his reputation was that of a postseason choke artist. Harsh as that may sound, Randle had shot just 34.4 percent from the field across two trips to the playoffs with New York.
Seven games into the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Randle looks like an entirely different player under the bright lights of the postseason with the Timberwolves.
Randle was nothing short of essential to New York's resurgence as a postseason-caliber team. He put the team on his back in 2020-21, leading the Knicks in points (24.1), rebounds (10.2), and assists (6.0) per game while shooting 41.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Jalen Brunson quickly emerged as the Knicks' new franchise player after arriving in 2022, but it's worth noting that Randle led the team in points (25.1) and rebounds (10.0) in 2022-23.
Unfortunately, Randle's postseason shortcomings overshadowed his regular season success. Even with two All-NBA nods, three All-Star Game appearances, and the 2021 Most Improved Player award, he was cast aside when the question was asked about his ability to excel against elite defenders in the playoffs.
Fast forward to 2025 and the question has been posed again: Can Randle step up in the playoffs when top-tier defenders are honed in on him? The answer thus far: A resounding yes.
Can Julius Randle thrive in the playoffs? In short: Yes.
Randle has flipped a switch in Minnesota, finding a level of confidence that he perhaps lacked in New York. Through seven playoff games in 2025, he's averaging 22.1 points and 5.6 assists on 48.6 percent shooting from the field.
Randle has scored at least 22 points in five of the Timberwolves' past six games, including the brilliant showing he stepped up with in Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors.
With Anthony Edwards playing on a sprained ankle, Randle put the Timberwolves on his back. He posted 24 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and committing just two turnovers in a must-win game.
Randle shot 57.1 percent when defended by either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, and is now shooting 50.0 percent against them for the series.
In addition to thriving offensively, Randle has emerged as one of the Timberwolves' most dominant defenders. If that sounds like an exaggeration, trust that it isn't. LeBron James shot just 10-of-25 when Randle was the primary defender, and Jimmy Butler is just 1-of-7 in that same situation.
As Randle scores, facilitates, and defends at star-caliber levels, the reputation that chased him out of New York is suddenly under review.
Randle isn't just putting up big offensive numbers with fluke shots he can't consistently hit. He's all-in on defense, has a nearly identical slash line from the regular season to the postseason—.485/.344/.806 to 486/.343/.886—and is taking care of the ball, committing just 2.6 turnovers per contest.
Long maligned for a limited sample size of postseason shortcomings, Randle is proving that he can thrive when the pressure is on.