Julius Randle dropped in another timely basket in the second half and turned toward the sideline as he shuffled back on defense, beating his chest with both fists to further boost the decibel level at Target Center that was roaring all afternoon as the Minnesota Timberwolves took control of the series with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Randle has been a handful for the Lakers in this matchup, delivering for the Timberwolves a consistent scoring alternative to star Anthony Edwards. He has taken grueling turns guarding Luka Doncic and LeBron James, too, and played with a gusto that wasn’t on display that much during an up-and-down regular season.
Leaping to keep offensive rebounds alive, diving on the floor for loose balls and encouraging the crowd to get louder with flex poses and primal screams during the two wins at home, Randle looks like he has found his footing in these NBA playoffs.
“He played phenomenal,” said Edwards, smiling at the mention of his urging Randle after Game 3 to significantly increase his shot attempts from the 13 field goals he put up on Friday. “I tell him to take more shots, he took more shots, and it helped us win. He was aggressive on the boards. Julius has been playing great.”
Many of those fans directing full-throated cheers at Randle this week weren’t so sure about him at first, following the surprise trade right before training camp began that brought Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota and sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Moving his family and adjusting to a new life on the fly was a challenge, as was meshing with a new team.
“I’ve had to grow other areas of my game. We’ve got such a talented group,” Randle said. “We’ve got so many versatile players. For all my career, I’ve always been asked to score the ball at a high level, rebound at a high level, but I think it’s like the little things that I’ve been able to do for the team and take joy in.”
Randle’s scoring average (18.7 points per game) during the regular season was his lowest in seven years, but he topped that yet again with 25 points in the 116-113 win in Game 4 on Sunday. After going 6 for 13 from the floor for 22 points in Game 3, Randle took the advice from Edwards and took 22 shots to match his most attempts in a Timberwolves uniform. He has 90 points in the series. Game 5 is Wednesday in Los Angeles.
“He doesn’t feel the pressure that he’s got to go out and score 30 every night for us to win,” coach Chris Finch said. “He trusts his teammates. He’s finding them now at a higher rate. He’s always been a really good passer, so I just feel like he’s unburdened from that responsibility and just knows that one night it might be 10, 11 shots, but the next night, he can still go for 30 and have a massive game.”
Despite being an 11-year veteran of the league, Randle has by far the fewest postseason games played in Minnesota’s eight-man rotation. He missed the playoffs with a shoulder injury last year with the Knicks. The first four seasons of his career were spent with some forgettable Lakers teams, coinciding with their six-year absence from the playoffs. Then he spent one season with New Orleans, where Finch was an assistant and quickly grew fond of his muscle-driven paint game that also offers a smooth left-handed touch from 3-point range.
“Man, it’s a pleasure to have him, just because of the physicality that he plays with,” Finch said. “You need that at this time of the year, and it doesn’t seem to get him off his game. He actually relishes it.”
