Just as sensational as Jalen Brunson’s ascension has been Julius Randle’s return to All-Star form. Not only was Randle selected to the All-Star game for the first time since 2020-21, but he has played even better this year than he did two seasons ago.
Let’s first look at baseline stats. Randle is averaging 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He is scoring more and grabbing more boards (more on that in a minute). His assists have dipped, but that was expected because Brunson has assumed a ton of responsibility as a lead ball-handler and as the main floor general. This may be the most impressive part of Randle’s return; he has excelled despite taking on a bit of a lesser role as an offensive engine for himself and his teammates.
Julius’ free throw shooting has declined, but his other percentages combined with his overall shot profile have been improved upon. Randle is shooting 46% from the field in part by attacking the rim more. His three-point percentage is worse than two years ago, down to 34.3% from 41.1%, but it is actually a good thing. This is because Randle has been taking more threes (8.3 APG) and trading that in for taking less long two-point jumpers. Many of his threes have even been off the dribble. He’s been such a good long-distance shooter that he is seventh in the NBA in three-pointers made.
Randle’s effective FG% for the year is 53.9%, up from 51.6% in 20-21. He has chosen to take more efficient shots and it has made him a more efficient player. To cap off this discussion about his stellar performance, Randle is the only player in the NBA (and has been for several months now) who is top five in total points and rebounds. In fact, he is on pace to be the only player EVER to accumulate these totals for the season:
And last but certainly not least, he just scored a new career-high 57 points, the third most points by a Knicks player ever. After last year’s nightmare, many fans hoped that Randle could rediscover his All-Star form if he was going to remain on this team. Thankfully, he has more than done just that.
pic.twitter.com/UKI1o5nqUJ
<p>— BrunsonMuse (@BrunsonMuse) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://twitter.com/BrunsonMuse/status/1636118526267125760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 15, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>But perhaps the most impressive number Brunson has put up this year is his total clutch points. He has scored 139 points<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://www.nba.com/stats/players/clutch-traditional?PerMode=Totals&dir=A&sort=PTS%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener"> in the clutch</a>, the fourth most in the league, shooting 51.6% on 91 total attempts (sixth-highest). Sensational.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A nice change from 2021-22 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-141246" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F03%2F1475392586.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Julius Randle" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/03/1475392586.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/03/1475392586-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Julius Randle, New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h3>Julius Randle’s Return</h3>
<p>Just as sensational as Jalen Brunson’s ascension has been Julius Randle’s return to All-Star form. Not only was Randle selected to the All-Star game for the first time since 2020-21, but he has played even better this year than he did two seasons ago.</p>
<p>Let’s first look at baseline stats. Randle is averaging 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He is scoring more and grabbing more boards (more on that in a minute). His assists have dipped, but that was expected because Brunson has assumed a ton of responsibility as a lead ball-handler and as the main floor general. This may be the most impressive part of Randle’s return; he has excelled despite taking on a bit of a lesser role as an offensive engine for himself and his teammates.</p>
<p>Julius’ free throw shooting has declined, but his other percentages combined with his overall shot profile have been improved upon. Randle is shooting 46% from the field in part by attacking the rim more. His three-point percentage is worse than two years ago, down to 34.3% from 41.1%, but it is actually a good thing. This is because Randle has been taking more threes (8.3 APG) and trading that in for taking less long two-point jumpers. Many of his threes have even been off the dribble. He’s been such a good long-distance shooter that he is seventh in the NBA in three-pointers made.</p>
<p>Randle’s effective FG% for the year is 53.9%, up from 51.6% in 20-21. He has chosen to take more efficient shots and it has made him a more efficient player. To cap off this discussion about his stellar performance, Randle is the only player in the NBA (and has been for several months now) who is top five in total points and rebounds. In fact, he is on pace to be the only player EVER to accumulate these totals for the season:</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">No player in NBA History has ever scored 2000+ Points, 800+ Rebounds, 300+ Assists, with more than 200 3PM in a single season. </p>
<p>With 11 games left, Julius Randle has:</p>
<p>• 1,792 Points<br>• 732 Rebounds<br>• 294 Assists<br>• 203 3PM ✅</p>
<p>Needs to average 18.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG over the… <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://t.co/Ypxh8EhmEg">pic.twitter.com/Ypxh8EhmEg
<p>— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://twitter.com/KnicksMuse/status/1636757436504653824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 17, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>And last but certainly not least, he just scored a new career-high 57 points, the third most points by a Knicks player ever. After last year’s nightmare, many fans hoped that Randle could rediscover his All-Star form if he was going to remain on this team. Thankfully, he has more than done just that.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> One step back </a>
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<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2023/03/20167510.jpeg">
pic.twitter.com/q1vyhuV1G7
<p>— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://twitter.com/FDSportsbook/status/1632589093614829569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 6, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>Today, Quickley is the betting favorite on many betting sites <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/10/knicks-immanuel-quickley-sixth-man-year/">to win the NBA’s 6MOTY Award</a>, and it’s easy to see why based on his production. Before March, IQ was averaging 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while playing 27.8 minutes. He also shot 44.2% from the field and 35.8% from three on five attempts per game.</p>
<p>The reason why March is so notable, and the story of how IQ has catapulted into the 6MOTY race, is because of how great he played when starting for the Knicks in place of an injured Jalen Brunson. In five games as the starter from March 5th to March 14th, Quickley averaged 23.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.4 AGP with an incredible 47.7/39/86.4 shooting slash line. Just as impressive has been his season-long excellence on defense.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Great analysis about Immanuel Quickley's defense this season by <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://twitter.com/AlexHoops_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@AlexHoops_ <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://t.co/CUeCDjBTxv">https://t.co/CUeCDjBTxv <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://t.co/TqTrQDjO7w">pic.twitter.com/TqTrQDjO7w
<p>— ShwinnyPooh (@shwinnypooh) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://twitter.com/shwinnypooh/status/1636404311138680833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 16, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Quickley has been phenomenal in every facet of the game this year for New York and has managed to even take a big step up when called up to do so. Even if he doesn’t win 6MOTY, there is no doubt that IQ’s value has risen this year even beyond being just an elite bench player. Consistency was always what most plagued IQ’s game, but that now seems to be an issue of the past.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The newest Knick </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_141249" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/03/25/6-biggest-knicks-surprises-2022-23-regular-season/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2023/03/20206296.jpeg">
Josh Hart</a>, who ties it all together so beautifully.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for Hart to prove his value. The swiss army knife scored 11 points, grabbed seven boards, dished four assists, and had four steals in his debut with New York. He also hit multiple big shots and had some key assists in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks win against the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>And not only did Hart spark the Knicks that night, but he would spark the team’s longest winning streak of the season. New York won nine games in a row including that Utah matchup, meaning Josh Hart started his Knicks career undefeated for several games.</p>
<p>Since then, Hart has continued to stuff the stat sheet off the bench and provide crucial minutes, many of which have come in crunch time. He’s even been one of the NBA’s leaders in three-point percentage since being traded to the team.</p>
<p>If you know ball, then you know Josh Hart is an incredible do-it-all role player who throughout his career has made every team he’s played for better. And yet, no one could’ve predicted Hart would help lead the Knicks to the success that he has so far.</p>
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