It's been a roller coaster of a season for Julius Randle. He started the season playing some of the best basketball of his career. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward averaged 23 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on 50.2/35.6/81.3 shooting splits during the first 20 games.
Randle's production started to decline, and he was in an outright slump after the All-Star break. In the first 11 games back from the All-Star break, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 39.8/15.2/78.6 shooting splits.
After three straight great games (including two without Anthony Edwards), it looked like things were changing positively for Randle. However, Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers showed off some of the negative aspects of Randle's game. Sure, he put up 19 points, but he did so on 6-for-16 shooting, committed four turnovers, grabbed just five rebounds, and was inattentive on defense. Notably, a defensive lapse from Randle led to an open 3-pointer for Jerami Grant, which ultimately secured a win for Portland.
Building momentum before the playoffs is key for everyone, but nobody would benefit more from this than Randle. With three weeks and 11 games left in the regular season, it will be vital for Randle to close the season out on a high note.
It remains unclear which version of Randle the Timberwolves will get
Randle's inconsistent play isn't just a story of this season; it's been a trend throughout his career. Thus, it's more important for him to get into a rhythm before the playoffs than it is for typical players.
Last season, Randle had a stellar first two rounds of the playoffs. He averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists with 50.9/34.5/88.9 shooting splits. In the first round of the playoffs, he played spectacular defense against LeBron James.
Before that, though, he closed out the final 21 regular season games on a strong note, taking on more playmaking duties and attacking more decisively as a scorer. As such, for Randle to have another good playoff run, it will likely be paired with a strong finish to the regular season.
To me, Randle's play isn't as much about reaching a certain statistical threshold. Rather, it's about him making good (and quick) decisions with the ball in his hands while buying into the defensive end of the court.
Making quick decisions will lead to efficient scoring nights and will allow him to be the Robin to Edwards' Batman. Randle will also be tasked with difficult matchups, and establishing these good defensive habits in the final stretch of games will be vital for Randle.
There's no denying that Randle's play will be one of the biggest questions regarding the Timberwolves' ability to win at the highest level. Frankly, my confidence in Randle's playoff production will be determined by this final stretch of games, and surely I'm not alone with this stance.