New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau will be in his sixth season with the franchise in 2024-25.
A two-time Coach of the Year, the Knicks rewarded Thibodeau for his success with the organization this offseason, signing him to a rich contract extension. New York has also given Thibodeau, a defensive guru whose pedagogy has led to multiple players’ improvement, a roster with upper echelon defenders. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mitchell Robinson all can be game-changers at that end.
Yet, for all the reasons to believe in the Knicks, there’s a big question: how do their additions affect Julius Randle?
Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau Opens Up About Julius Randle’s Importance
“I think Julius has always adapted to whatever challenge he’s faced each year,” Thibodeau considers. “People forget the level that he’s played at. Four years ago, he had a monster season and we didn’t have the shooting we have now, so the floor is going to be more open. We got a glimpse of that in January, which was his last month of basketball.
People forget the guy was 25, 10 and 5,” he continues. “He’s had a lot of success and he’s been a big part of winning the last four years in New York. The more good players you have, the more sacrifices you have to make. Not only by Julius, by everybody.”
Sacrifices, Situations, Skills
As for the exact sacrifices Randle has to make, nobody knows for sure just yet.
Due to the arrival of Bridges, it looks like the Knicks will have to infringe upon his minutes at power forward this season. It’s also possible that other teams will look to play small when they face New York. This could be the result of their opponent’s offensive philosophy or a situational approach, taking advantage of what they feel is a mismatch.
For example, Robinson is one of the NBA’s best interior defenders. However, he’s not as impactful when asked to guard in space. Indeed, this is one of the reasons that Isaiah Hartenstein was prized by the Knicks; he excelled as a perimeter defender. With Hartenstein signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, either Jericho Sims or Precious Achiuwa will be Robinson’s primary backup.
Yet, Thibodeau can also see Randle manning the five, at least in spurts.
“We’ll probably have to do it by committee,” Thibodeau says of replacing Hartenstein. “We’ll look at some different things, because we have versatility — we could see Julius more at the 5. I don’t want to do that for long stretches, it would take its toll, but to have him do it for 10 or 15 minutes, I think he can do it well. He also would create a lot of [offensive] advantages.”
At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, Randle would be undersized at center, even in this era. Centers don’t rely on their low-post game as much these days, but they still bang around on the boards. Randle is a phenomenal rebounder, but that could be tiring. For a player still recovering from a dislocated shoulder, it might be even more challenging.
Still, Randle’s a dynamic offensive threat who creates mismatches with his skill and physical traits.
“He’s added the 3-point shot, he can put it on the floor, he can play back to the basket, he can face up and play off the screen,” Thibodeau muses. “He can run the floor — I always tell him, ‘You’re at your best in transition, getting downhill.’ When he plays that way, he’s impossible to stop. It’s speed, it’s strength, it’s all those things.
He commands two on the ball, and he’s got to trust the pass from there.”
Named an All-Star in three of his last four campaigns, Randle likely wants to keep that momentum going. Jalen Brunson usurping him as the No. 1 option on offense makes that a bit harder. However, by taking advantage of his own versatility, his teammates’ may not take him too far from the spotlight.
If he can dominate and the Knicks are winning on top of it, it’ll be a pretty good season. A contract extension could even be on the horizon. But, if not, trade talks surrounding the Texas native could get pretty loud.
