3 Reasons Knicks were able to defy regular season expectations
Julius Randle, New York Knicks. (Photo by Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
2. The Julius Randle resurgence
We all know how great of a season Julius Randle has had this year, however, what he put on display last season gave fans little hope for him. While Randle had an All-NBA level season in 2020, he did not follow it up well at all in 2021.
Despite this, Randle knew he needed to step up this season and did exactly that, averaging 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 34.3% from deep on 8.3 attempts.
This may not have been a perfect season for Randle, but the way he completely turned it all around in a pivotal season is something that will always be remembered by true Knicks fans.
Without Randle’s resurgence, we are easily looking at a much worse Knicks team than we are currently faced with. You can’t replace a player who puts up the numbers Randle does, let alone his five 40+ point games and the game-winning shot he hit against the Heat.
Randle’s had his fair share of frustrating moments this season, but the Knicks would be in a completely different situation if not for his massively improved play.
![""](https://dailyknicks.com/2023/04/10/3-reasons-knicks-defy-regular-season-expectations-quickley-randle-brunson/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2018%2F08%2F20104687.jpeg")
Isaiah Hartenstein</a> to be the new backup center, or trading for Josh Hart, Rose has done an incredible job at building this roster and he deserves his flowers.</p>
<p>Signing Brunson is an incredible move that deserves its own level of praise as the leap he’s made from role player to star has been ridiculous. However, bringing in key role players to flesh out some much-needed depth is also very important.</p>
<p>Rose deserves his criticisms for moves made in the past, but there are no doubts that he has done a wonderful job at constructing this roster and getting them ready for a potential playoff run. The season in general has been incredible to watch and we’re thankful that Rose decided to be more aggressive than usual in the offseason and at the trade deadline.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="laex9YY6Uh"><p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/04/10/3-reasons-knicks-defy-regular-season-expectations-quickley-randle-brunson/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/04/05/nba-playoffs-3-x-factor-knicks-surprise-2-fall-flat/">NBA Playoffs: 3 X-Factor Knicks that could surprise us, 2 that could fall flat</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/04/10/3-reasons-knicks-defy-regular-season-expectations-quickley-randle-brunson/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/04/05/nba-playoffs-3-x-factor-knicks-surprise-2-fall-flat/embed/#?secret=laex9YY6Uh" data-secret="laex9YY6Uh" width="500" height="282" title="“NBA Playoffs: 3 X-Factor Knicks that could surprise us, 2 that could fall flat” — Daily Knicks" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div><!—pageview_candidate—>">
