Now armed with a 3-1 record since the All-Star break, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been winning, but it hasn’t really been in impressive fashion. Anthony Edwards is likely to finish as the league’s leading scorer for the month of February, but the team’s second-leading scorer’s play has been confounding of late.
That is Julius Randle, of course. While his play on the defensive end at times can sometimes be described as lethargic, the three-time All-Star normally does his work on offense. Since the All-Star break, Randle has struggled to score, and it’s part of the reason why Minnesota has been unable to put games out of reach against inferior teams.
Unfortunately, inconsistent play has always plagued Randle. New York Knicks fans were delighted with Randle's role in turning around the franchise, but he quickly fell out of favor with fans as his scoring and defensive inconsistencies popped up.
Given his involvement in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, Randle was always controversial among Wolves fans. Thus, it's not shocking that Wolves fans are frustrated with Randle.
Randle's play has been slipping as of late
On Thursday night, Randle hit a midrange turnaround jumper about midway through the first quarter. On the next possession, he was fouled and made both free throws. Remarkably, those were all four points that the 31-year-old scored on the evening.
In about 32 minutes of action, Randle shot 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Edwards finished with 31 points on the night in a fairly efficient fashion, but the Wolves still entered the fourth down five and with only 63 points. Ant-Man wasn’t getting the help needed against an undermanned Los Angeles Clippers team, particularly from Randle. While they scored 31 in the fourth and came back to win, Randle didn’t contribute in the scoring column.
Only grabbing three rebounds in the contest also showcases the perceived lack of effort that Randle gives at times.
Seen as somewhat of a moody player while with the Knicks, that hasn't been viewed as often with Minnesota. He still has to find other ways to impact the game when his shot isn't falling, and too often, he doesn't do enough elsewhere.
In the four games since the break, Randle is averaging 12 points. He is 15-for-44 from the field and 2-for-12 from 3-point range.
Randle must get back to his typical standards
In their last game prior to the All-Star break, Randle dropped a season-high 41 points in a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. It furthered the notion that he was one of the biggest All-Star snubs.
In his 56 outings prior to the break, Randle averaged 22.3 points while shooting just shy of 50 percent from the field.
With the upcoming schedule getting more challenging (including their next game Sunday against the Denver Nuggets), the Timberwolves need more of that from their second-best scorer, especially if he remains not very engaged on the defensive side.
If Randle doesn't pick up his production before the playoffs, the Wolves will be in a tough spot.