When discussing Julius Randle, the word underrated comes to mind. Despite averaging 26.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 56/44.2/84.9 shooting splits, Randle rarely (if ever) gets praised by the national media. Being underappreciated is nothing new for Big Ju, though.
After being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves (along with Donte DiVincezno and a protected first-round pick, which turned into Joan Beringer) in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, the consensus opinion was that the New York Knicks won the trade. Nevertheless, Randle's shot creation and playmaking made him an ideal co-star next to Anthony Edwards. This gave the Wolves a skill set didn't have with Towns. Furthermore, the Wolves upgraded their depth and saved a significant amount of money, which helped them re-sign Naz Reid.
Even after a career-best playoffs, where he averaged 21.7 points, some of Randle's doubters weren't convinced. Some observers even went as far as to say that the Wolves would regret signing Randle to a three-year $100 million extension. Randle has undoubtedly done enough to silence some of these concerns thus far, but he still isn't getting enough credit.
Randle is the most underappreciated star in the league
Whether it's elite shot creation, playmaking, on-ball defense, or floor spacing, Randle has done it all for the Wolves this season. The 6-foot-9 forward is one of the most versatile offensive players in the league. Impressively, Randle ranks second in the league for points per isolation possession; earlier this week, he led the NBA in this stat. Randle is shooting a career-high from 3-point range (44.2 percent) and at the rim (72.7 percent). He is doing all of this while leading the team in assists.
Julius Randle isolation scoring pic.twitter.com/Qsvo313Nnr
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) November 2, 2025
Randle did a fantastic job of keeping the Wolves afloat without Edwards. Notably, the Wolves had the sixth-best offense in the four games that Edwards has missed. Now that Ant is back in the mix, the Wolves have an elite one-two punch with Edwards and Randle. Minnesota is off to a sluggish 4-4 start and has only had one win against .500 teams. However, the Wolves often start slow, and Randle is a reason to believe in this team's long-term outlook.
The stars are aligning for Randle to make his fourth All-Star team, and perhaps even his third All-NBA team. All of these honors came while Randle was playing in New York, and he led them to their first playoffs in seven years. Still, Randle was often criticized in the media while never being given his proper flowers when he was with the Knicks. Frankly, I can't think of any other player with Randle's resume who gets praised less.
While it's unfortunate that Randle doesn't get enough credit, luckily, he's become a beloved and indispensable part of this Wolves squad.