Julius Randle Addresses Struggles Following Game 4 Of Timberwolves' WCF Series Against Thunder
Julius Randle seemed to become the Robin to Anthony Edwards' Batman, coming into their series against the Thunder. However, following their 128-126 Game 4 loss to OKC, the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of elimination once again in the back-to-back West Finals.
Randle finished the game with 5 points and 5 turnovers in 28 minutes played in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Following the game, Randle spoke to the media about his struggle to find form against the Thunder. He felt like he was spectating more than playing and needed to find a way to turn that around and be more active in the game. He said:
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"I think it was just a lot me just spectating. I gotta figure out a way to get myself involved in actions."
Randle averaged 23.9 points per game coming into this series. He has since then played two games where he scored in single digits. Game 2 and now Game 4, Randle did not show up for the Timberwolves.
With all the pressure now on the Timberwolves' shoulders, Randle needs to play his best basketball for them to have any chance. Only 2% of teams facing a seven-game series have come back from a 3-1 deficit. The most recent one was by the Denver Nuggets in 2020 when they came back from 3-1 to beat the Jazz. However, the OKC Thunder are not the Jazz. They did not have an MVP like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to carry their offense.
Anthony Edwards-Julius Randle: The Timberwolves' Long-Term Solution?
Earlier in the season, when Randle was traded to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns, he did not seamlessly fit inside their system. However, Edwards and the coaching staff slowly grew fond of him and saw value in his contributions. From teasing his defensive contributions to outright crediting him for winning games, the evolution of Edwards and Randle as teammates is visible over time.
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By the beginning of the Playoffs, the duo was so close-knit together that NBA Insider Brian Windhorst even compared Randle to a miniature LeBron James alongside Edwards. After the Timberwolves' series with the Warriors, Windhorst said:
"He averaged 25, 7, and 7. 6ft 9 point forward, averaging those kinds of numbers, who does that remind you of? How about LeBron James? He's acting like a miniature LeBron James in this postseason, being a force with his size. Being able to be a playmaker, being able to play different roles on offence, and different roles on defence. Creating all kinds of havoc with what he's able to do with the ball while he gets in that triple-threat position. This type of player, next to Ant, is what's taking the Wolves to the next level."
Randle may have only shown sparks of what he can do alongside Anthony Edwards, but I highly doubt that the Timberwolves will invest long-term in Randle if his inconsistency costs them yet another chance at the NBA championship. He has a $30.9 million player option available for the 2025-26 season, which he will likely exercise. Beyond which he may not extend with the team if they don't see any value in him.
Related: Lonzo Ball Blames Lakers For Disrespecting Julius Randle
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Associated Press
28 minutes ago
- Associated Press
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For some in Seattle, it'll be a heaping helping of fresh salt on the wounds that opened when the Sonics were taken away. And people like Ball, who grew up in Seattle hearing stories of Sonics legends like Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, aren't exactly rooting for Oklahoma City right now. The Thunder are heavy favorites to beat the Pacers. Should they pull it off, the Thunder would claim their first NBA title in Oklahoma City, but technically their second as a franchise after Seattle won the title in 1979. It's no secret the city wants the league to come back. Expansion is on the NBA's to-do list, and it's likely that talks — the first of many, many steps in this process — could start in earnest with interested cities in the next few months. Commissioner Adam Silver, however, hasn't fully committed to adding new teams. 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That same arena received a significant remodel ahead of the Kraken arriving, which could make it suitable for NBA games. That would ultimately be up to the association to decide one day, but Ball hopes it would be the Sonics' former home in the Queen Anne neighborhood they get to triumphantly return to one day. 'A lot of Sonics fans that I know I'm sure never got over the wounds of what happened here 17 years ago with them leaving (for) Oklahoma City,' SuperSonics fan Eric Phan said. 'All of the Sonics fanbase (is) rooting for the Indiana Pacers.' Seattle seemed to have a chance at getting a team back in 2013 when the Maloof family put the Sacramento Kings up for sale. But investor Chris Hansen's bid to relocate the team to Seattle was rejected by the NBA's Board of Governors. For fans like Ball and Phan, hope lives on. Ball recognizes that's partially because he is an inherently positive person, and he's hoping for a Hollywood ending. 'It would be poetic if the year that OKC wins the finals — if that occurs — is in the same summer that the league comes out and says, 'Hey, we're forming an expansion committee to start really exploring this process,'' Ball said. 'I think that would help damper or therapize the feelings and emotions that would come along with seeing the Thunder hoist the Larry O'Brien.' Phan pointed out that just because the Sonics don't play in Seattle, it doesn't mean the team is truly gone. 'You can see people walking the sidewalks and streets of Seattle, and even the suburbs,' Phan said. 'People are wearing Sonics gear like they never really left.' ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Oklahoma City contributed. ___ AP NBA:
