The New York Knicks and Julius Randle‘s collective journey has been something of a roller coaster, dating back to the 2019-2020 season when he first arrived. There’s another twist on the horizon with the 2024-2025 season approaching.
Or at least, that’s what head coach Tom Thibodeau alluded to in a question-and-answer column with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
When asked about replacing former starting center Isaiah Hartenstein — who departed for the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency — the Knicks’ head coach mentioned Randle as an option to Aschburner.
“We’ll probably have to do it by committee,” Thibodeau told Aschburner. “We’ll look at some different things, because we have versatility — we could see Julius more at the 5. I don’t want to do that for long stretches, it would take its toll, but to have him do it for 10 or 15 minutes, I think he can do it well. He also would create a lot of [offensive] advantages.”
According to Cleaning the Glass, Randle only played .008% of his 3288 possessions at center last season. But for a team that’s lost Hartenstein, and doubled down on wing depth, that will have to change next year.
Based on his comments, Thibodeau seems amenable to change. And that alone could be the key to an NBA Finals run for New York.
This story will be updated.
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