On Friday night, Julius Randle will play at Madison Square Garden once again. This time, he does it as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, returning to the Mecca for the first time since the trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to his former team. The other player in the deal, Donte DiVincenzo, also a Knick fan favorite, is out with an injury. This night will be all about Randle’s time in New York, and rightfully so. He spent five seasons in the Big Apple, and Knicks fans should remember Randle in a positive light.
Knicks Fans Should Remember Randle Fondly in MSG Return
It is well-known that Randle had a tumultuous ride with the Knicks fanbase. There was his disastrous first season in 2019-20, where they went 21-45, largely because of a terrible year from their presumed new star. In Randle’s third season in NYC, he had direct on-court altercations with MSG crowds, giving them the thumbs-down and screaming expletives at the booing fans amid the team’s struggles. Maybe, worst of all, the playoffs. Randle’s two postseason appearances (he missed his third because of injury) were dreadful, partly for reasons out of his control. Despite the lack of help in the 2021 loss to the Hawks and his ankle injury in 2023, Knicks fans never completely forgave him for his poor playoff performances. However, there was also so much good from Randle’s tenure in New York.
Randle Came to NY When No One Else Wanted to
In the summer of 2019, every Knicks fan thought they were landing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in free agency. Many reports at the time linked the superstar duo to New York City, leading fans to believe they were finally being saved from the torture the Knicks put them through. In a twist, it turned out Irving and Durant were headed to NYC, just not to Manhattan. Losing their dream to the little brother in Brooklyn was a gut punch for the entire fanbase. Little did they know, it was a blessing in disguise that would lead the franchise to new heights.
Before the 2019-20 season, Durant explained that “the cool thing right now is not the Knicks”. This reflected the mentality of most NBA stars and was the reason he and Irving spurned them for Brooklyn. Despite the sentiment around the league, Randle decided to leave New Orleans to ink a team-friendly three-year, $63M deal with the Knicks. At the time, the signing was laughed at, with Randle being seen as a poor consolation prize. However, it actually became the first stepping stone to a stunning organizational turnaround.
To Kevin Durant, the New York Knicks aren’t “cool.” #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/KiNec3bMVy
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) October 8, 2019
Knicks Fans Owe Randle for Their Resurgence
With the help of first-year head coach Tom Thibodeau and an improved roster built by new executive Leon Rose, Randle led the 2020-21 Knicks to their first playoff birth in eight years, securing a fourth seed. He also won Most Improved Player, was an All-Star, and earned second-team All-NBA honors. Although that year ended in an embarrassing five-game defeat to Atlanta, New York was “cool” again.
After the brutal 2021-22 campaign, NY acquired Mavericks castoff Jalen Brunson. He and Randle led the Knicks to two more playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024 and two series victories (Randle missed the 2024 postseason). We’ll never know how far they could’ve gone, or if Randle had stuck around with the new-look roster in 2025.
Although fans will credit Leon Rose and Brunson most for the turnaround, and deservedly so, no one should forget who started at the bottom. It was Randle who came here when no one else wanted to and battled through adversity to leave the Knicks in a better spot than when he joined. He should be treated as such tonight at MSG, and every night.
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