The Minnesota Timberwolves closed out the Steph-less Golden State Warriors in Game 5 behind yet another standout performance from Julius Randle. He finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 13-of-18 shooting. It was just the latest in a string of productive outings from the 30-year-old power forward.
That puts Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals for the second straight year. After initial skepticism around the Randle trade, which saw the Wolves sacrifice longtime franchise pillar Karl-Anthony Towns, the court of public opinion has done a complete 180. By comparison, Towns was in foul trouble early in the New York Knicks' failed attempt to close out the Boston Celtics. New York lost by 25 and was outscored by 20 points with Towns on the floor.
Did the Wolves "win" this trade? Towns put together an incredible season for New York and it feels like the Knicks are going to punch their own ticket to the conference finals soon enough, so it's unfair to paint this as a lopsided deal in Minnesota's favor. The Knicks are definitely better with KAT and Jalen Brunson hyperextending the defense every night.
But, it definitely does not feel like Minnesota lost this trade, which was the overwhelming consensus in the moment — and especially early in the season, when Randle was struggling to find his footing in Minnesota's new-look starting five. My, how times change.
Julius Randle has finally exorcised his postseason demons with the Wolves
Anthony Edwards is the face of Minnesota basketball, but Randle has been right there in terms of impact in these playoffs. Through the first two rounds, he is averaging 21.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 turnovers on .467/.355/.878 splits. Not bad for a player with a longstanding reputation of shrinking in the postseason.
Just months ago, it was impossible to fathom a performance like this from Randle. He was like a fish out of water in those first few weeks as a Timberwolf. The Wolves missed KAT's spacing. The defense suffered. He was taking reps away from Ant and mucking up the offense with questionable shot selection. The same old story with Randle from his days in New York.
Randle has long been an excellent regular season player. The dude can stack numbers like nobody's business. But his play style has not always been the most conducive to winning — at least, not at the highest levels. Randle's lackluster decision-making was a huge sticking point in New York. Just last season, the Knicks made a postseason run without Randle, who was hurt. The common takeaway was, "maybe the Knicks are better without him."
Trading Randle for KAT was a no-brainer. A slam dunk, from the Knicks' perspective. It was a bit more complicated from the Wolves' standpoint, no matter how high you were on Donte DiVincenzo. The Wolves were on the precipice of the NBA Finals last season. A No. 2 seed with unique size, depth, and shot-making. Why risk that all on a notoriously flawed player? The reason was taxes. But the other reason was, perhaps, because Tim Connelly saw something we all didn't.
In those early, vain attempts to explain the Wolves' trade logic, the most common argument in favor of Randle was that he gave Minnesota an element of advantage creation and iso scoring that KAT simply did not. That's not to say KAT does not create mismatches or venture into the occasional mid-post iso or perimeter face-up — he does, and often at a very high level. But Randle is a real bruiser with a knack for punishing smaller defenders in the post and a special talent for mid-range pull-ups.
Too often last postseason, and especially in their WCF loss to Dallas, we saw Minnesota's offense stall because Edwards was the only real live-dribble threat. Randle's efficiency has been a point of consternation for years, but he can absolutely shake an offense from its slumber by forcing the issue and generating opportunities from scratch. Even Knicks fans will admit it.
Now, we are seeing that logic bear fruit, and Randle happens to be silencing many of the doubts that followed him from Manhattan to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. His efficiency has been much improved in these playoffs. He's picking his spots with confidence and attacking mismatches without overdoing it. He is equally committed to distributing to teammates and playing within the constraints of Chris Finch's evolving scheme, which seems to counter each opposing adjustment before it's even implemented. Side note, Chris Finch is rapidly rising up the 'Best NBA Coaches' list. Like, he's really high.
Randle still has his imperfections, of course, whether it be the occasional spate of turnovers or troubling defensive lapses. But his rugged physicality has given a new dynamic to this Wolves lineup. Minnesota has two blunt-force weapons with which to bludgeon opposing defenses. Stopping Edwards is hard enough. It's even more difficult when Randle is plowing through defenders in the paint, burying a few 3s every night, and picking his spots with unexpected precision.
Minnesota has a true postseason riser on its hands with Randle. That is wild. Here's to hoping we get a Knicks-Wolves NBA Finals matchup. For the drama.
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NBA news roundup:
- Derrick White's 34 points led Boston to a dominant Game 5 victory over New York without Jayson Tatum. It feels like the Knicks will punch back, but if the Celtics can execute as sharply as they did on Wednesday, this series will get more interesting than New York fans would like.
- Golden State and Jonathan Kuminga will explore sign-and-trade options this summer, per Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic. After refusing to part with Kuminga in trades for Paul George or Lauri Markkanen, the Dubs are stuck in an uncomfortable bind with their former lottery pick.
- The Spurs will not explore trading the No. 2 pick, per ESPN's Jonathon Givony, with plans to add Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper to a lineup that already includes De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. It's not the cleanest fit, but Harper was a productive off-ball scorer in college and his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame gives him unique positional flexibility.
Upside and Motor NBA Draft Corner: Notes from the Combine
- Tahaad Pettiford (23 points, eight assists) and Maxime Raynaud (20 points, nine rebounds) were big winners from the first round of scrimmages at the NBA Combine. Raynaud will shut it down with palpable first round buzz.
- Australian wing Alex Toohey hit three 3s and finished with 15 points in 21 minutes. The NBL product, who measured 6-foot-9 in shoes, brings quality athleticism and competitiveness on the wing. He plays a free-flowing, selfless brand of basketball. If the jumper starts falling, the 21-year-old's stock will skyrocket.
- Chinese 7-footer Hansen Yang, in what was many scouts' first chance to see him live, scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes of scrimmage action, tacking on a couple assists and a block. His polished footwork, touch and passing vision in the post are standout traits.
- UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg, a Michigan transfer commit, said he is split "50/50" between staying in the draft or going back to school. He wants a promise in the first round, ideally in the top 20. That feels like a genuine possibility, as all it takes is one team desperate enough to keep Lendeborg away from Ann Arbor.