The Minnesota Timberwolves went from reaching the Western Conference Finals last season to potentially being a Play-In Tournament team the following season. It took a while to get used to no longer having Karl-Anthony Towns and instead having Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Things reached a point where flipping Randle and/or DiVincenzo seemed like it could be a real possibility, but Minnesota didn't do anything before the deadline. The Timberwolves finished the regular season with a 20-10 record, securing the No. 6 seed in the process.
It takes time for players to acclimate to their new environment after being traded, especially when the deal happens days before training camp. Randle and DiVincenzo got off to a shaky start with the Timberwolves, but that's no longer the case. The former missed over a month with a groin injury, returning on March 2. He closed out the regular season averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, shooting 52.8% from the field and 39.8% from three.
The next stretch of games will be the biggest test that Randle has faced in Minnesota. The Timberwolves will face the Lakers in the first round, the team that drafted Randle in 2014. LA is favored in the series, but that doesn't mean the Timberwolves can't cause some chaos with a first-round upset. It can't happen without Randle, though.
Julius Randle can flip playoff narrative in first season with Timberwolves
Randle became a regular-season star in New York, but the playoffs were a different story. He didn't play at all in the postseason for the Knicks last year after dislocating his shoulder. He dealt with an ankle injury in the 2023 playoffs and didn't give Jalen Brunson the help he needed to end New York's Eastern Conference Finals drought.
The forward averaged 17.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the Knicks in 15 postseason games. Randle shot an abysmal 34.4% from the field and 28.3% from deep. Those numbers are why he has a reputation for "not showing up in the playoffs."
Timberwolves fans shouldn't dwell on Randle's past too much. What he did in New York no longer matters. He's playing for something different in Minnesota, and he knows that.
Julius Randle, who missed last season's playoffs with a shoulder injury, on being back in the postseason this year.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 15, 2025
"This is one of the few times -- probably really the only time in my whole career -- I feel like I have a chance to really play for something." pic.twitter.com/8hNsIQ5U6x
Randle ended the regular season on a high note and is ready to carry that energy over to the playoffs. Beating an LA squad led by LeBron James and Luka Doncic will take all hands on deck for Minnesota, especially Randle.