Expectations were sky high for Julius Randle coming into the 2021-22 NBA season. He was coming off a stellar campaign in the prior year that saw him earn an All-Star nod, win Most Improved Player and lead the New York Knicks into the playoffs.
The hope was that he would take the next step and become a legitimate superstar.
Unfortunately, both Randle and the Knicks regressed. He saw drops in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. In addition, both his field goal and three-point shooting percentages took a massive hit.
In the end, the Knicks missed the playoffs altogether.
After a disastrous 2021-22 run, talk began to intensify regarding a Randle trade. That made a bad situation worse, and he started turning into a legitimate locker room problem.
Fortunately, it appears all sides have agreed to turn over a new leaf. The Knicks no longer seem to be actively looking to trade Randle, and he appears to have re-committed to his conditioning.
Recent photos of the 27-year-old speak for themselves:
Julius Randle, Feron Hunt and Jericho Sims with trainer AJ Billings in Dallas pic.twitter.com/cdyoNDqqr7
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 3, 2022
Randle seems to be putting in legit work this summer to better himself:
Julius Randle, Jericho Sims and Feron Hunt working out in Dallas @SandersFit pic.twitter.com/rnFK59xhsT
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 3, 2022
With social media being social media, the reactions to Randle’s work were largely what you would expect:
Good to see Jules
— Matt (@MatthewKotch) June 3, 2022
Seen the same type of Randle workout videos all last Summer. That’s a hard pass for me! I’m good. Still trading. Real fast too.
— Jon Draper (@Ever212Ny4) June 3, 2022
Julius looks like he’s in great shape, while this last season was tough, I’d love to see him bounce back
— Evan Mattel (@Evan_Mattel21) June 3, 2022
What’s the point of getting ripped like that if you’re settling for 18 ft fadeaways, not setting screens and not playing defense? Hard pass for me as well
— Jeremy E (@JmryEx) June 4, 2022
Julius looks good
— James Kreisler (@jkreisler12) June 3, 2022
I want Julius out of the Knicks so bad last year attitude and mental lapses was enough for me
— Carlos Delgado (@CADECA7) June 4, 2022
The coming season is going to be a big one for Randle. If he bounces back strong and plays like he did two seasons ago – last year’s collapse will become a distant memory.
Everyone loves a comeback story.
Justin Verlander refrained from commenting on these though. https://t.co/kMBnASWWqg
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 7, 2022
But if Randle struggles again in 2022-23 the way he did in 2021-22, expect to hear the trade chatter heat up once more.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
