As we all know by now, Julius Randle's play since returning from his groin injury has been paramount to the Minnesota Timberwolves' success. The Wolves' offense has opened up even more with Randle's elite driving and playmaking abilities on full display, and they have won their last 10 games where he has been able to suit up.
It was not like this from the beginning of the season for Julius. There were certainly times where the questions concerning his usefulness to this roster were more warranted, and he has come a long way to be where he is now. With that being said, there were several factors that perhaps hindered him from being as effective early in the season as he is now.
One of those factors that has not necessarily been discussed a lot is his shoulder injury he sustained last season. After being sidelined for the end of the 2023-24 year with a dislocated right shoulder, he came into his first season with the Timberwolves coming off that injury. He was handed over to a new medical staff on top of trying to finish his treatment and recovery plans. That unquestionably had an impact on how quickly he was able to adjust to being in Minnesota.
Randle looks healthier than he was at the beginning of the season
In thinking about that, we begin to consider that perhaps Randle is actually a good bit healthier now than he was at the beginning of the season in October. Dane Moore asked Julius himself about this after the win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, and his answer on whether his health has progressed since the start of the 2024-25 campaign was quite telling.
"It definitely has," said Julius. "I think for me physically, I've got a great team. PT, strength, conditioning guys. I think from the moment I got injured, or actually even really before that, I've just really been trying to attack the weight room ... I feel like the last couple years, when we get to the playoffs, I've been banged up, injured, dealing with injuries."
This is a notable response, and one that speaks to his level of production to begin the season. Randle gave us even more insight when he answered a question about whether the shoulder limited him at the start of the year. "Somewhat, yeah," he said. "I mean, like I was healed. But my strength and all that stuff wasn't all the way there yet."
Knowing this caveat about Randle's health should provide a tremendous amount of reassurance to Timberwolves fans. If he did not look quite like himself yet back in October, that was because he was not fully himself at the time. With Julius now feeling better physically and the fact that we can see that manifesting itself in the form of high-level on-court production, the Minnesota faithful can feel even more optimistic about how dangerous this team can be in the playoffs.