Over the past month-and-a-half, Julius Randle has played like someone who recently joined the Minnesota Timberwolves organization and is figuring out where he fits on a new team. That's a problem, in my opinion, because Julius Randle has played for this team for nearly two years.
After shooting just 22 percent from 3-point range in February, Randle's shooting splits have gotten worse in the first half of March. Yes, worse than 22 percent. He's down to 15.8 percent from deep, and just over 42 percent from the field. He's scored over 20 points three times since the beginning of February.
Shooting struggles are one thing — every player experiences them. But Randle has looked completely disengaged and detached during this stretch, in a startling enough manner to question whether he will hold this team back in the postseason.
I know that sounds harsh — and I don't want to pile on Julius Randle, who I'm sure would rather be playing good basketball than bad basketball. But in a Western Conference where every advantage could swing a playoff series, the Wolves' second-best player being essentially a black hole could derail the Wolves' quest for a third straight conference finals (and more).
Julius Randle looks extremely disengaged as Wolves fight for seeding
What's the best route forward for Randle? Is it taking a backseat in the Wolves offense and playing a lower volume role until he gets his rhythm back? Is it continuing to play a major on-ball role but simply shooting less, and trying to get others involved more? His assist numbers are way down recently, too, averaging just 3.7 per game this month.
Or should Randle simply power through, playing the same game he always does and hoping things start to go in his direction?
That last option is hard to make a case for, because right now, it doesn't feel like Randle is playing his regular game and simply getting unlucky. Instead, he doesn't appear bought in to the team's success. So, first and foremost, he needs to get his mental game back on track. Wolves fans can deal with him missing shots if he looks like he wants to be on the court. But right now, he doesn't. Until that changes, it's hard to envision the All-Star version of Julius Randle that Wolves fans have seen in the past.
Whatever the case, a star player needing motivation to try in the home stretch of the regular season is a tad concerning. Or a few tads.