Julius Randle has a golden opportunity to rewrite the script about his fatal flaw

Anyone who has watched the Minnesota Timberwolves this season knows that Julius Randle's defense has been a problem. His lack of rim protection and attention to detail off the ball have been key to his defensive shortcomings. Notably, per Cleaning the Glass, the Wolves' defense is 11 points worse with Randle on the court, a number that ranks in the third percentile.

Even as a massive Randle supporter, I can't deny that his defense has been underwhelming.

However, on Sunday night, Randle delivered his best defensive performance of the season, and perhaps in any game he's played in a Wolves uniform (although his defense was fantastic in the first round of the playoffs last year). In the fourth quarter, Randle served as the primary defender on San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. He held him to 2-for-5 from the field overall and 0-for-3 from the field in the fourth quarter, including in the final possession of the game. Randle also forced Wemby into a turnover.

Not to be hyperbolic, but a defensive performance like this against one of the game's best players could be a turning point for Randle.

Randle can silence his doubters and become a true two-way force

After Sunday's win, Anthony Edwards spoke transparently about Randle's defense and the level of player he can be when he commits to the defensive side of the ball.

“We tell him all the time, like every day, “like bruh” whenever you choose to guard you can be one of the best defenders in the NBA. He took the challenge in the fourth guarding Wemby, and he did a great job,” Edwards said.

I don't want to chalk all of Randle's defensive issues to effort, but it's a clear factor. Nevertheless, Randle has the skill set to be an impactful defender, especially on the ball. Randle's physicality mostly gets talked about on the offensive end, but it's also a weapon for him on defense.

His physicality clearly bothered Wemby on Sunday. Randle's brute strength can deter skilled centers such as Wemby, Chet Holmgren, or Karl-Anthony Towns. Notably, Holmgren has shot 1-for-6, and KAT has shot 7-for-15 when guarded by Randle this season.

Randle's ability to guard this type of center is a massive advantage for the Wolves. When Randle is guarding the opposing team's center, Rudy Gobert is playing a roaming role off the ball, which opens up some extra versatility within the Wolves' defensive scheme.

Now, I want to be clear, this strategy doesn't work against every big man; players like Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun don't shy away from physicality and thus aren't as impacted by Randle's strength. Regardless, having Randle be able to guard certain big men is a nice wrinkle for the Wolves' defense.

Randle can also guard opposing forwards at a high rate. Last playoffs, he held LeBron James to 10-for-25 shooting and Jimmy Butler to 1-for-13 shooting. Randle's strength plays a role in matching the physicality and athleticism of these types of forwards.

There's a lot to like with Randle's on-ball defense, and having him be able to take on difficult matchups is a massive advantage for the Wolves. While he has struggled on defense this season, I truly believe that this game against the Spurs could be a turning point for Randle.

The Wolves will be without Gobert due to a suspension for their next game on Tuesday. As such, they will be counting on Randle more. Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will be a difficult matchup. However, if Randle can play great defense in back-to-back challenging matchups, he might never look back and be the two-way star he has the potential to be for the rest of the season.

Consistency will be key for Randle defensively, both on and off the ball. Still, he is more than capable of being a positive defender, and Sunday's game should be a reminder of that.

If Randle can consistently remain engaged off the ball and disrupt opponents with his strength on the ball for the rest of the year, concerns about his defense will quickly be silenced.