Julius Randle has quietly become one of the most valuable players in the NBA

Julius Randle never seems to get credit for the incredible all-around impact he makes. Randle did get a good amount of praise for his spectacular first two rounds of the playoffs, where he averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. However, the positive dialogue around Randle seemingly cooled down, and despite a stellar start to the 2025-26 season, nobody is talking about him.

Through three games of the season, Randle is averaging 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 57.4/47.1/73.7 shooting splits. After Anthony Edwards left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, Randle put the team on his shoulders. He racked up 31 points, six assists, and four rebounds en route to a four-point win over the Indiana Pacers. The best aspects of Randle's all-around impact were on display during this game.

Julius Randle's playmaking changes everything for the Timberwolves

Following Chris Finch tweaking the starting lineup, replacing Mike Conley with Donte DiVincenzo, Randle has been empowered as one of the Wolves' lead initiators.

When Edwards left Sunday's game with an injury, Randle was used as both a lead ball-handler and offensive hub. A strategy that benefited the Wolves. If Edwards misses time, this will be the trend moving forward.

In my opinion, playmaking is the most underrated part of Randle's game. Impressively, Cleaning the Glass ranks him in the 100th percentile for assist-to-usage ratio. Sure, it's only three games, but this stat speaks volumes to his impact and strong decision-making abilities. Randle ranked in the 78th percentile for this stat last season.

So far, Randle is posting a career-high 28.7 assist rate with a 9.8 turnover rate. Randle's versatility as a passer really stands out to me, whether it's drive-and-kick passes, swing passes, or finding cutters from the top of the key; he does it all.

Even going back to last season, Randle was empowered as a playmaker after he returned from injury. In the last 21 games, the Wolves were 17-4, and Randle averaged 18.2 points and 5.2 assists. This continued in the playoffs when he averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 assists.

Undoubtedly, Randle's playmaking gives the Wolves' offense an extra layer of versatility and helps address a key problem.

Randle's impact as a shot creator

In addition to his playmaking, Randle's shot creation massively benefits the Wolves. Typically, he's an elite secondary creator next to Edwards. Randle is a bruiser who attacks mismatches at an elite level and is a ferocious finisher. Notably, Randle is shooting 70.3 percent at the rim this season.

Randle's creation was best evidenced in the first two rounds of the 2025 playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. He especially thrives against smaller teams. Randle is also an effective mid-range scorer, and through three games, he's been a 3-point sniper.

Shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc isn't sustainable. However, Randle could shoot around 40 percent (he shot 38.7 percent in the playoffs). Randle becoming a consistent threat from beyond the arc would open up a ton for the Wolves' offense.

While he's typically a second option if Edwards is injured or struggles, Randle can provide first option-level production. Sunday's game was the perfect example of this.

The other elements of Randle's value

Defense is another part of Randle's game that goes overlooked. This season, he's holding opponents to 35.3 shooting from the field (league average is 48.8). Randle typically guards bigger forwards but is also capable of guarding true bigs, and he can switch onto perimeter players. His blend of size and strength makes him highly impactful on defense.

Last playoffs also showed Randle's value on defense when he held LeBron James to 40 percent shooting. He wasn't Jimmy Butler's primary defender, but Butler shot just 1-13 (7.7 percent) when guarded by Randle. He isn't an All-Defensive caliber player, but it's fair to call Randle a two-way star.

I don't want to harp on the Randle-Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which always gets brought up when discussing either player. However, Randle's blend of creation, playmaking, and defense has clearly benefited Minnesota.

The cherry on top for me is that Randle is on a three-year $100 million contract. For reference, this deal makes him the 61st highest-paid player in the league. I can't think of many (if any) better value contracts across the league. Tip of the cap, Tim Connelly.