For most of the season, Julius Randle's defense has been a point of contention among Minnesota Timberwolves fans. Even as a generally pro-Randle person, I've had to acknowledge that Randle's defense, especially off the ball, has been lackluster this season.
However, Randle has been showing signs of defensive improvement, especially in the last two games. Against the Boston Celtics, he played great defense against Jayson Tatum. And during Wednesday's amazing win over the Houston Rockets, Randle played stifling defense on Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.
This recent trend could give Randle the positive momentum he needs as the playoffs near. Of course, it will still be vital for him to provide secondary scoring and playmaking on offense. Regardless, his defensive impact is also a clear swing factor for the Timberwolves' playoff success.
Randle's defense was vital to the Timberwolves' win on Wednesday
After Jaden McDaniels left the game with an injury and Rudy Gobert fouled out of the game, Randle was tasked with an immense amount of defensive responsibilities. Randle mainly guarded Sengun in overtime, and he did a great job of walling him up and not letting him get to his spots. When Randle was asked to guard Durant, he got up in his grill and contained him. Plus, all game long, Randle's attention to detail off the ball looked much better.
Randle's game-winning shot to cap off a 13-point overtime comeback win might stand out as the ultimate highlight of the night. Nevertheless, Randle set the tone defensively down the stretch, and as a leader, he stayed collected, making sure the Wolves didn't fold under the numerous layers of adversity they faced.
With the playoffs just weeks away, the Wolves will need Randle to be engaged and impactful on defense. Luckily, this recent stretch could be a turning point for Big Ju.
The Timberwolves will need Randle's defense in the playoffs
Part of what has made Randle's defensive inconsistencies so frustrating is that he has all the tools to be a great defender. At the same time, this makes Randle having a productive-defensive postseason all the more possible.
In the playoffs, Randle will be tasked with a difficult matchup guarding both physical forwards and centers. Last season, we saw him play lockdown defense on LeBron James during the Wolves' first round series win.
A possible rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers will ask Randle to guard LeBron once again. If they play the Rockets, Randle will undoubtedly have to guard Sengun and Durant at times. Aaron Gordon would likely be Randle's primary matchup in a possible series with the Denver Nuggets, but it's fair to expect him to also get some reps guarding Nikola Jokic.
In addition to playing physical defense to limit opposing teams' stars, Randle must be attentive off the ball. Otherwise, teams could game plan to expose this weakness in the Wolves' defense.
These past two games are undoubtedly a promising sign for Randle, and in general, I think his defense has looked better throughout the entire month of March. Still, Randle has had some rough moments on defense, including last week against the Portland Trail Blazers.
With just nine games left in the regular season, the Wolves need Randle's promising defensive impact from the past few games to be the new norm. If the Timberwolves can get high-level defense out of Randle in the playoffs, another deep postseason run could be in the cards.