There is a difference between a leading scorer and a true leader.
That Julius Randle has grown from the former to the latter at the age of 26 is the reason why he will play in his first NBA All-Star Game on Sunday in Atlanta (20:00, TNT). And that’s why his young Knicks are following his lead in their best season in years.
Voting in the All-Star Team, and the Skills Challenge that precedes it, are individual honors. Randle, however, deserved them because of the way he took on a leadership role for the young, inexperienced Knicks, and often carried them on his extra-large shoulders.
“I absolutely accept it. I work for it. I challenge myself and strive to be able to do it every night. I know I still have a long way to go and I can also get much better, ”Randle said.
“But I definitely think I grew as a leader. I definitely think I’m a person on our team who gives me an example of how I work. I care about my teammates. I definitely think it’s something guys look at me every night to bring up my game in a certain way. I try to the best of my ability to do that. ”
Randle enjoyed a breakthrough campaign. He enters the All-Star Game with an average of 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 40.8 shots from three points – all career-best.
“This guy is going crazy this year, first All-Star,” Kevin Durant said of Randle when he selected the Knicks forward for his Team Durant to challenge Team LeBron.
In fact, Randle is just continuing with his upward trajectory, which started while he was with the Pelicans before falling back after signing with the Knicks last season.
‘I’m very attached to the guys who coached him in New Orleans. They said, “You will love him if you coach him.” It applies after he was around him, as he changed his game, “said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. ‘My biggest concern this season was the three-point shooting, and he was so diligent with his work and he became a great 3-point shooter. He has an all-game.
“He has made great progress. Also his leadership. He is an excellent worker and sets an excellent example. The impact on the win was huge. ”
Randle said he learned his work ethic by watching Kobe Bryant during their time with the Lakers, and he was open about the disappointment of last season and made a poor first impression.
This year, Randle came into the camp in better shape. He took young people like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin under his wing and emphasized the value of video work and led them to put extra time into the gym.
Instead of repenting the mentorship, they adopted Randle’s leadership. The results are a surprising 19-18 series by the Knicks that fits on their first winning season since 2013.
“Very exciting. It is encouraging, ”Randle said. “It’s really exciting. It’s a great honor for me to be able to lead those guys every day to have that kind of responsibility. This is something I look forward to, and just really encouraging. ”
Randle has taken the win and is looking forward to even the wins not counting in the standings – aiming for Sunday’s Skills Challenge against Luka Doncic and the All-Star Game against Team LeBron.
‘Pretty simple [goal], to win both, ”Randle said. “It’s simple, try to win both, just enjoy the experience and make sure my family enjoys it.”