In his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Julius Randle finally began to exorcise his postseason demons. Yes, he was a rather productive player with the Knicks who was named to three All-Star teams, but he put up some atrocious outings in his two playoff runs with the team. Turning 31 years old on November 29, it hasn’t been talked about enough how important Randle is for the Timberwolves’ title hopes in 2025-26.
The Wolves were better with Randle playing and when he scored more
Can Randle ever be a playoff performer? The 6-foot-9 power forward answered that question with a resounding yes last season, at least for the first two rounds.
His impact when playing was also seen in his first regular season with the Timberwolves. With him in the lineup, the team went 44-25. In the 13 games that Randle missed, Minnesota went just 5-8.
The more he put the ball in the hoop, the more successful the Timberwolves were as well. When Randle dropped at least 20 points in a game, Minnesota was 26-10. When he scored less than 20, they were just slightly over .500 at 18-15. It was a more pronounced difference come playoff time. The Wolves went 8-3 when Randle had at least 20 points and just 1-3 when he didn’t.
Randle needs to remain reliable second option on offense
Of course, Anthony Edwards is going to be the Timberwolves’ leading scorer and best player. At just 24 years old, it is safe to assume there may be even further improvements in his game over the next few years. The last 21 NBA champions have had a recent first team All-NBA player, and after making the second team the last two seasons, Edwards is primed to make that jump in 2025-26.
Meanwhile, Randle will be playing in his 12th season. He’s at the age where a decline in play isn’t a certainty, but also wouldn’t be surprising.
Just like last season, Randle is the clear second option on offense. Rudy Gobert is who he is at the offensive end in what will be his 13th NBA season. Mike Conley will soon be 38 years old and can't be counted on to score in droves. Jaden McDaniels shows in spurts that he can be a reliable scorer, but he hasn’t done so consistently.
With title aspirations, the Timberwolves can’t afford to have Edwards’ further growth be offset by any decline in Randle's game.