Julius Randle has had a roller-coaster experience with the Timberwolves, displaying tremendous highs, such as performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's first-round matchup. Impressive play from Randle has been accompanied by lows as well, and moments where he has severely handicapped Minnesota.
Randle's 11-year career has been defined by inconsistency, with extreme highs and lows. After two separate underwhelming playoffs with the New York Knicks, resentment among fans grew with Randle for his playoff shortcomings. Of course, this culminated in him being traded to the Wolves.
Heading into the playoffs, it was unclear what version of Randle the Wolves would get, but it was clear that this stretch could determine his future with the team.
With Randle's recent struggles continuing in Minnesota's Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets, it is vital that he picks up his level of play, or Minnesota could seek to move on from him in the offseason.
Randle's struggles could lead the Wolves to trade him
After shooting lights out in his first-round series last year against the Lakers, Randle struggled in Game 1 against Denver. Randle had just 16 points on 16 shots, including zero made 3-pointers on three attempts.
Randle struggled on both sides of the floor, including a crucial defensive mishap in the fourth quarter that saw Denver score a clutch second-chance basket. With Randle, the problems seem to be mental lapses on both ends of the floor, with bad offensive decision-making and defensive lapses that result in easy offensive looks.
Despite Randle and the Timberwolves' struggles, Minnesota remained in the game until the final minutes, where things unraveled. With Game 2 on Monday, Randle has the opportunity to redeem himself and contribute to Minnesota tying the series.
It's more than fair to wonder whether Randle is consistent enough to be a second option next to Anthony Edwards. Undoubtedly, if he continues to struggle, the likelihood of an offseason move increases.
How Julius Randle can consistently contribute to the Wolves
Randle has struggled mildly with his 3-point shooting, sitting at just 31.5 percent. As the season has progressed, Randle has gotten better at acknowledging this deficiency, opting for dribble handoffs to get more capable shooters open.
With these dribble handoffs and leaning into being more of a playmaker, Randle can be more effective against the Nuggets. With Denver leaving Randle open from beyond the arc, Randle can conduct these DHO's to get open looks for the likes of Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo Dosunmu, and Anthony Edwards, who have all been lethal from beyond the arc.
Smart aggression is also a very important aspect of Randle's game. As one of the more physical players in the NBA, it is important that Randle utilizes his strength on offense, but in a smart way. Oftentimes, Randle is prone to having tunnel vision on the rim, missing kick-out opportunities for open 3s, and creating unforced turnovers.
If Randle is able to play with decisiveness, getting to the rim in transition, and looking for open shooters in the half-court offense, Minnesota can finally get a jumpstart on its struggling offense.
In addition to offense, Randle needs to take strides defensively in order for Minnesota to stay in the series. While Randle is a solid on-ball defender, he at times gets lost with off-ball movement, ending up with wide-open shooters.
This is especially costly considering that the Nuggets led the league in 3-point field goal percentage in the regular season, nearly hitting 40 percent of their 3-pointers as a team.
Randle is not the sole problem in off-ball defense, as the Timberwolves collectively struggle with this issue.
Despite signing a three-year extension last offseason, Randle remains on thin ice as part of Minnesota's roster.
With a disappointing regular season and a potential first-round loss, the Timberwolves could look to revamp their roster, with Randle likely being at the top of the trade list, particularly if his struggles persist. The flip side is that the early noted adjustments could help Randle put together a quality series, which ultimately could help him stick around.
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