The silent river has finally started to flow! We are talking about Julius Randle’s performance here! After a frustrating injury break, the big man was all set to return to the floor. But before that, to further add salt to the wound, the NY Knicks took the call to trade him to Minnesota. And finally, JR is on the floor, up and running, creating a franchise record being only three games into the season. Now that he has almost cemented a spot in the Timberwolves fold, the star power forward dropped the hammer on the Big Apple side.

Randle played his last 5 seasons with the Knicks, racking up  20+ points per game in all the years, except for his first one during which he averaged 19.5. The hooper was, in fact, the primary aggressor on the side offensively, up until Jalen Brunson came into the side. And the mantle was abruptly passed on to the point guard. Two seasons later, the team shipped him to Minnesota.

Amid this rocky relationship with the Knicks, Julius Randle took a subtle dig, after his historical performance in the Wolves thread. In the first three games, Randle has averaged 24.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists with a high score of 33 points against the Kings.

With 24 points against the Raptors, the former NY hooper holds the franchise record for most points in the first 3 games. Speaking after the game, Julius said, “I am having a lot of fun. I love it here. It’s been amazing. Everybody here is just so unselfish and they made me feel more welcomed and made me feel at home. So, I’m going out and trying to play as hard as I can and get wins, so.”

This may sound like a usual positive note about his new franchise, but considering Jalen Brunson’s takeover of the Knicks and the number of shots offered to him, along with certain moments sparking a ‘hero-ball’ controversy in fan forums, Randle’s “unselfish” line does resonate with a few. Nevertheless, JR seemed to have found his sweet spot.

How does Julius Randle’s replacement feel in New York?

Karl-Anthony Towns probably had the hardest goodbyes among the players involved in the blockbuster trade. Kat and Anthony Edwards were brothers in arms as they guided the Wolves to their first Conference Finals in two decades. The duo even sat together in press interactions and pulled each other’s legs, proving their camaraderie on and off the court. However, the trade came out of nowhere and it even shocked the big man as he got to know the news minutes before the announcement.

Nevertheless, the hooper is now a Knicks player, taking charge of the frontcourt. How did things go for Karl-Anthony so far on the NY side? Well, it’s safe to say that he is gradually gelling with the team’s style. Moreover, he’s seemed to have formed a good bond with franchise talisman Jalen Brunson. Speaking at Media Day, the hooper said, “The first thing I did was walk up to Jalen and introduced myself to say, ‘Hi, my name is Karl.’ Because I know that was a struggle for him.” 

Moreover, Coach Thibs has vested a lot of trust in Towns regarding the Knicks’ postseason ambitions, as he said, “He’s gotten a lot more experience. He’s now been deep in the playoffs and knows what that’s like.” However, it will only be a matter of time until we find out how things have panned out. Who do you think has found the perfect team? Randle or Towns? Let us know in the comments.