Julius Randle is entering the playoffs this year amped up.
“I’m excited,” Randle told the media on Tuesday. “This is one of the few times – probably the only time in my career – I feel like I have a chance to really play for something. I’m excited. Just my comfort level with coach, the coaching staff, the team, and everybody – it’s special there.”
Last season, the New York Knicks reached the second round, where they lost in seven games to the Indiana Pacers. However, Randle didn’t play due to a shoulder injury.
Randle has only played in the playoffs twice. He led New York to a 41-31 record in 2020-21, the season in which he won Most Improved Player. However, the Atlanta Hawks bounced the Knicks in five games while Randle averaged 18 points on 29.8% shooting. In 2022-23, the Knicks finished with the fifth seed, but the Miami Heat knocked them out in the second round. Randle averaged 16.6 points on 37.4% from the floor in the playoffs that season.
Randle is correct. This year’s Minnesota Timberwolves team is probably better assembled than the Knicks teams that made runs to the playoffs in 2021 and 2023. However, he played a role in the Knicks never advancing past the second round while he was on the roster.
Randle will try to beat the playoff allegations this year as the Timberwolves face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. For Minnesota to upset LA, it will take a strong series from Randle. Still, that doesn’t mean he has to be a polarizing scorer, as he was in ’21 and ’23, and Julius is aware of that.
“I feel like the biggest growth in my game is understanding different ways to impact the game and impact winning than scoring the ball,” Randle said on Tuesday. “I know if I need to go get 30, then I can do that. But I don’t have to force that, and I can let the game dictate what it needs.”
Allowing the game to tell Randle what he needs to do has proven invaluable for the Wolves this season. However, he must be the one who dictates the pace for Minnesota.
After missing 13 games with a groin strain from February 1 to February 28, Randle developed into the version of himself that the Timberwolves needed him to be all along. Early in the year, Chris Finch and his staff needed Randle to prioritize scoring. But as it turns out, they needed the opposite.
“He started out playing a lot like this when he first started playing in training camp,” Finch said after Randle dropped 25 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists against the Charlotte Hornets on March 5. “We told him he needed to score more, which we thought we did. He has had some really good scoring games for us, but as it turns out, what we probably needed more was just this – these all-around games that he’s been giving us.”
The Timberwolves finished the final two months of the season with a 17-4 record, the third-best in the league during that span. Minnesota kicked off that stretch by winning eight-straight games, which coincided with Randle’s return to the lineup on March 2.
Over the final 21 games of the season, Randle averaged 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on 52.3% from the floor and 39.8% from deep. Randle placed a larger emphasis on pushing the pace in transition and playing faster overall after his injury.
Minnesota entered the offseason determined to become a better team in transition, especially after acquiring Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. However, the Wolves finished their 2024-25 campaign 25th in pace, two spots worse than they finished last season.
“We are always stressing pace,” Finch said on Tuesday. “We are one of the slower teams in the league, and that has never sat quite well. We are going to have to try to get more pace in the game wherever we can.”
The Lakers are 21st in pace since acquiring Luka Dončić at the deadline, which makes sense because LeBron James and Dončić don’t necessarily run the offense rapidly. However, LA loves to throw the ball ahead in transition to catch the defense off guard. James and Dončić are very effective at completing those quarterback passes, which demoralizes the other team.
One way to mitigate LA’s transition opportunities is by playing faster than them.
The Luka-Lakers allow 18 fastbreak points per game (the fifth-most in the NBA since February 10) and turn the ball over 14.5 times per game (the ninth-most). That’s not a good combination for a team planning to make a deep run. Minnesota must exploit this, especially because it has had trouble against teams that control the pace.
Randle must assert himself and go into the series with the goal of playing fast. He has done a phenomenal job letting each game flow around him. Some nights, the game flows in a way where Randle scores more than 30 points. Other nights, the game is flowing while he makes five shots but dishes out ten assists.
Every night, however, Randle plays with a consistent level of pace while not feeling pressure to score.
“I just feel like he is unburdened from that responsibility,” Finch said. “He knows that one night, it might be ten or 11 shots. The next night, he can still go for 30 and have a massive game like we saw in Memphis. That’s kind of a rhythm that has repeated itself. I think he is at peace with that.”
The Wolves play at their highest level when Randle grabs rebounds off the rim and pushes down the floor, blending his unique combination of speed, strength, and ball control. Randle’s pace can also show itself in the halfcourt, where he constantly moves without the ball, sets screens, and makes quick decisions with the ball in his hands.
Sometimes, the pace slows down in the postseason. However, Finch doesn’t believe that is as prevalent anymore because teams understand the importance of getting out in transition.
“Now, so many of those teams, part of their identity is running,” Finch said on Thursday. “Understanding that at this time of the year, you gotta run, play fast, and make quick decisions. Just because you need easy baskets, no matter how they come.”
Now more than ever, the Timberwolves must be one of those teams. Buckets won’t come easily against LA’s scrappy defense. However, Minnesota will produce its most productive offense when it plays quickly. It will also allow Anthony Edwards to get attempts early in the shot clock, preventing the Lakers from loading up on him.
Randle must set the tone for Minnesota’s pace. Doing so will help him beat his playoff allegations, even if he doesn’t put up big scoring totals. Whether Randle plays at a fast pace will also be a determining factor in the Wolves getting out of the first round.