Julius Randle Is Willing To Do Whatever It Takes To Win

All Julius Randle wants to do is win.

“I want to help in any way needed,” Randle said shortly after the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for him. “Whatever is asked of me, I am going to do. I just want to help us get over that hump and win. At this stage of my career, the only thing that matters is winning.”

Randle is in his 12th NBA season. He isn’t trying to prove he belongs in this league; he did that many years ago. He isn’t trying to make life-changing money for himself and his family; he did that for the first time in 2019 when the New York Knicks signed him to a three-year, $62 million contract. Julius isn’t trying to find his fit with his new team; he did that in the final stretch of last season, leading the Timberwolves to a postseason berth.

After clearing most of the typical distractions that fog a professional athlete’s mind, Randle wants to lead a winning charge in Minnesota. On Sunday, he led the Timberwolves to a 114-110 win in their third game of the season by scoring a team-high 31 points.

In each of the previous two games, Randle has produced winning basketball. Still, he has adjusted his approach based on what the Timberwolves have needed from him — a clear sign that the veteran forward only cares about winning, which will be vital for the Wolves over the next two weeks.

Randle’s season started with a 19-point, seven-rebound, six-assist performance on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers. He shot 7 of 13 from the floor and 3 of 5 from deep in 35 minutes. Even though Anthony Edwards was the MVP with his 41 points, the Timberwolves don’t walk out of Moda Center with a 118-114 win over the Blazers without Randle’s shot-making.

Much of Randle’s success against the Blazers came in the halfcourt. Once the Wolves broke through Portland’s full-court pressure, Randle became the hub of Minnesota’s offense. He went to work in isolation, hit catch-and-shoot threes, and dished the ball to his teammates. However, part of the reason the Wolves didn’t pull away against Portland until the fourth quarter was that they struggled to get the ball across the half-court line.

Chris Finch started Donte DiVincenzo over Mike Conley at point guard. DiVincenzo is at his best when he can be a movement shooter. However, early on against the Blazers, Donte played more like a point guard — initiating the offense and trying to break through Portland’s pressure. It didn’t work well. DiVincenzo finished with a career-high six turnovers and only seven points.

The Wolves needed better point guard play in their follow-up game against the Los Angeles Lakers, but Finch stuck with DiVincenzo in the starting lineup. So, Randle took it on himself to play more like a point guard and take the pressure off DiVincenzo.

Minnesota ultimately lost in LA as Luka Dončić erupted for 49 points, but the Wolves — at least offensively — played well enough to win. They had 94 points after the third quarter, and Randle was playing like a true point forward. He was immediately the primary ball handler, taking the ball up the floor instead of DiVincenzo and passing it quickly to his teammates while remaining a scoring threat as the offense flowed around him.

“The first team started well,” Finch said postgame. “We started great with good rhythm, moving the ball. … But we are going to have to get some consistency out of [the point guard position] right now.”

Randle finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on 9 of 16 shooting. He truly felt like a point guard for most of the night, and it helped Minnesota’s offense significantly. And when Randle did go to work in isolation, he did most of his damage while facing/attacking the rim, instead of backing down the defense.

In every game where Edwards is the leading scorer (he had 31 points against the Lakers), a pass-first, point-guard-like mindset from Randle is precisely what the Wolves need. That mindset alone can drive winning. They don’t necessarily need him to score 25 or more points.

But sometimes, the Wolves will need Randle to be more like the player he was with the New York Knicks in 2023, when he averaged a team-high 25 points.

On Sunday, that was certainly the case.

Three minutes into Sunday’s game, Edwards subbed out and walked back to Minnesota’s locker room. Most of the time, Ant would have come skipping out of the tunnel shortly after to applause from the Target Center crowd, as if nothing had happened. But this time, he didn’t. During the first quarter, the Timberwolves ruled Edwards out with right hamstring tightness.

Randle had 11 points in the first quarter on 5 of 7 shooting. He was imposing his size on the Indiana Pacers, converting some physical post-up buckets. The Wolves desperately needed that to continue.

Nothing around Randle was firing offensively early on. Even though the Pacers were missing four rotational players and had played the night before in Memphis, it was clear they weren’t going to roll over at any point. To win, Minnesota needed Randle to score first and let the offense open up around him.

“[Julius] was outstanding,” said Finch postgame. “Just put the ball in his hands and felt confident that he was going to get a clean look. [He] put a lot of pressure on the middle of their defense and was kind of just a calm place to go.”

Randle racked up 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting by halftime, playing the same way that he did in the first quarter. He wasn’t playing “point guard” the way he did against the Lakers. He wasn’t facing up against the defense. Instead, Randle was bullying the Pacers inside the arc by posting up and getting to the free-throw line. Coming out of halftime, Indiana ramped up its defensive pressure on Julius, temporarily limiting his scoring in the third quarter.

However, Randle’s lack of offensive usage in the third quarter allowed others to step into Minnesota’s offensive flow. In the second half, Naz Reid had 11 of his 16 total points, Rudy Gobert had 11 of his 14 points, and DiVincenzo had nine of his 17.

Much like he was in Portland, Randle became the hub of Minnesota’s offense in the halfcourt, creating a slew of open shots and finishing the game with six assists. However, in Portland, Ant’s 10-point fourth quarter sealed the win. Minnesota didn’t have that luxury on Sunday, so Randle filled that hole again with a 10-point fourth quarter.

Randle didn’t play a perfect game against Indiana, but he did exactly what the Wolves needed to win. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday morning that Edwards will miss two weeks with a right hamstring strain*. For as long as Ant is out — right now, it’s looking like at least eight games — this is the version of Randle the Wolves will need; score-first and pass-second, becoming the hub that naturally creates high-quality looks for his teammates.

It’s a role that Randle had for most of his time with the Knicks. He likely welcomes the chance to be the type of player he was on Sunday. But he’s probably just as content to play more like a point guard because ultimately, all Randle wants to do is win.

*Ed note: This section was updated to better reflect details of Edwards’ injury and how it affects Randle.