Julius Randle took his seat in front of the Zoom camera preparing for his media session and before he could be asked a question, Knicks’ teammate Theo Pinson popped in front of him and shouted, "Your 2021 Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Julius Randle, Kentucky University, national championship runner-up."
Randle laughed loudly before pointing out that he had mangled the University of Kentucky and taking a shot at Pinson’s own University of North Carolina pedigree. Maybe that put on display that in earning his latest honor, Randle still feels like it is the team that matters, the team success that helps him to get recognized, the team unity that has led to his most important improvement — as a leader.