Julius Randle gets it.
As much as he’s embraced being the New York Knicks’ franchise cornerstone, he knows in his heart he can’t do it alone. His first playoff appearance showed him he needs more help to compete for a championship.
Randle became an All-Star, All-NBA Second Team forward, and the Most Improved Player of the Year last season that fueled the Knicks’ surprising playoff run. But they were bounced by Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in five games in the first round, exposing their lack of talent and firepower.
That became one of Randle’s biggest considerations why he opted to sign a cheaper extension now rather than wait for next summer when he would have been eligible to sign an extension in the neighborhood of $200 million.