Julius Randle doesn’t feel like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and is playing like it in Minnesota.
The former Knicks star, who was traded to Minnesota as part of the deal for Karl-Anthony Towns, has become a powerhouse for the Timberwolves and has dominated in the postseason, putting up 28 and 24 points in Games 1 and 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Thunder.
The Timberwolves trail the series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Monday night.
In the second round, he averaged 27 points, 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds in the final four games of the series against the Warriors and has shown how he can use his physicality to wear down opponents.
Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the
Oklahoma City Thunder. Getty Images
Part of that has been, according to an article from Yahoo Sports, the move out of New York, where he faced intense scrutiny, and part has been his drive to prove to the league that he can be successful playing the style of basketball that he wanted to play.
“I’ve always used that as motivation, proving people wrong and stuff like that,” Randle said. “But it became more about proving myself right. That’s been the biggest adjustment and change in my mindset.
“Not that you don’t see it, pay attention to it. But it’s more about me than anyone else. I mean, I think that’s kind of been the maturity of my approach. I feel like the weight of the world’s off my shoulders because I’m just playing, having fun.
“It’s not for anybody else, but for myself and for my teammates and people that pour into me and love me. I’m not out here to prove anybody wrong or change a narrative.”
But Randle had been a point of focus in New York and had every little thing scrutinized.
“It ain’t fun, it ain’t fun,” Randle told the outlet. “You can’t really focus on the game, you’re focused on everything else other than the game itself. You’re living and dying with every single shot, every single turnover, every single loss. It’s not a fun way to play.
“It’s exhausting.”
Randle has been praised by his teammates for the way he’s played through all of the noise and the Timberwolves find themselves in the conference finals for the second consecutive season.
Donte DiVincenzo, who was also dealt in the trade between the Knicks and Timberwolves, expressed admiration for Randle through all of the ups and downs.
Julius Randle against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first
quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals. Getty Images
“The amount of s–t Julius takes, it’s hard to even fathom how he deals with it,” DiVincenzo said. “To see him carry the load, night in and night out, everybody knows how much stuff he deals with, everybody knows how much flak he [catches], and he doesn’t let it faze him, he doesn’t let it bother him.”