There is a lot more uncertainty surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves' season now than there was just 10 days ago. With Karl-Anthony Towns now out of the picture and Julius Randle set to take his spot as the regular starting power forward, a ton changes about the Timberwolves' approach and how they go about building another season worthy of an NBA championship.
Of course, there are plenty of upsides to having Randle on the roster and as one of the main focal points of this team's offense. Julius plays a physical style and loves to punish less-capable defenders on the interior. His intentionality in attacking matchups is one of the biggest things that Wolves fans can look forward to concerning his game.
But there is still plenty of question regarding where exactly he fits into the offense. Exactly how much should Chris Finch and the coaching staff be playing through him? Britt Robson, one of the most prominent Timberwolves analysts and writer for The Athletic, recently appeared on The Dane Moore NBA Podcast to speak about this subject.
In analyzing Randle's exact role, Robson first made a call-back to Julius' introductory press conference wherein Randle gave heavy praise to Chris Finch. He also noted how Finch reciprocated these kind words back to his new starting power forward.
Britt Robson: Likely that Randle won't be as ball-dominant
In Robson's eyes, the fact that these two already trust each other is a solid start. But then from there, it becomes a question of how much Julius expects the ball to be in his hands. He says that playing alongside the other starters in Minnesota is a near-guarantee Randle will not be as ball-dominant as he was with the Knicks.
"If you're in the starting lineup with Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, who is supposed to get more touches this year, and Mike Conley, then you are not going to be as ball-dominant even when you had Jalen Brunson on the court with you in New York.," Robson said. "You just are not. And if you are as ball-dominant, it's going to be a problem."
This is really a solid point. At some level, Julius is likely going to have to learn to be the second and maybe sometimes even the third offensive option for this Timberwolves team to operate at peak efficiency. Britt also points out that Randle operated next to guys like Mitchell Robinson in New York, and his Minnesota teammates are going to need the ball in their hands more than he has been used to in the past.
Being that Julius is a seasoned veteran, it is likely that this is something he can adapt to without a problem. But as the season goes on and we monitor his numbers, it will certainly be something to keep track of.