When Julius Randle became a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves approximately seven months ago, he was faced with what was basically an impossible task. The entire fanbase was certainly less than thrilled the organization had opted to deal away the beloved Karl-Anthony Towns, and now Randle was going to be tasked with filling some very big shoes.
Not even just from a basketball production standpoint, but from the perspective of KAT's overall connection to the Timberwolves fanbase. After nearly a decade with the franchise, he had etched at least one good memory into the minds of even the more casual fans in Minnesota. Then, Randle became his replacement.
There's no question Julius was dealt a tough hand, but the way he handled it throughout this season has been more than respectable. Not to mention the fact he entered the year coming off an injury, Randle's overall impact has been well worth talking about.
Now, fast forward to Game 2 of the playoffs for Minnesota, and Julius may be well on his way to making Wolves fans think a lot less about the controversial September 2024 trade. Though it came in a loss, Randle stepped up as a scorer on a night the Wolves sorely needed it on Tuesday.
Randle has been a rock for the Timberwolves
The Lakers' defense was stifling, with not much going offensively for the Timberwolves on that evening. That is, except for Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, the latter of whom finished the contest with a playoff career-high 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting and six assists.
Randle got going quickly in Game 2 and never looked back. Attacking defenders with reckless abandon and finishing at the bucket at a high rate, he consistently put pressure on LA's wing defenders and forced them to put a greater focus on stopping him.
Against LeBron James, Julius has looked particularly comfortable. He is shooting it at an incredible 75% clip when number 23 defends him this series, although on a small sample size (6-for-8 from the floor). On the flip side, Randle's defense on James has been notable as well, holding LeBron to a 33% shooting mark when he defends him through two games of the series. So far, Julius has largely won that matchup.
There's a lot of basketball left to be played between the Timberwolves and Lakers. But so far, Julius Randle has been everything Minnesota has needed him to be. He's stepped up as that reliable secondary scoring option the Wolves needed in a playoff setting, and remains one of the team's most innovative playmakers as well.
Julius isn't Karl-Anthony Towns. But let's not forget that although KAT was meaningful to this franchise, he had his moments of being a letdown in the playoffs. If Randle keeps his current level of play up, it will go a long way toward him beginning to erase the bad memories of that trade.