MINNEAPOLIS-Estos playoffs de la NBA han producido algunas imágenes definitorias en el camino a las finales: Tyrese Haliburton se consolidó como un villano de la gran ciudad, Jalen Brunson como una estrella certificada del tiempo de crujido, y Jayson Tatum se retorció de dolor.
Pero quizás la imagen más refrescante es Julius Randle, sumergiendo su hombro en los cofres de LeBron James y Draymond Green, ya sea como un acosador elegante o una estrella de delicadeza contundente.
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Ha sido el contraste perfecto con la estrella fugaz de Anthony Edwards en Minneapolis y, sorprendentemente, un conector al resto de los Timberwolves en su carrera hacia las Finales de la Conferencia Oeste, que el Thunder lidera 2-1 entrando en el Juego 4 del lunes por la noche.
En su mejor momento en la etapa más alta, Randle parece que está disfrutando de estos momentos. Promedió 27 puntos, 7.8 asistencias y 7.5 rebotes en los últimos cuatro juegos de la serie Warriors, y anotó 28 y 24 en los Juegos 1 y 3 de las finales occidentales con un disparo más del 60%.
Los malos juegos han sido casi inexistentes, la mirada triste y las expresiones faciales caídas han llegado pocas y distantes. No es un nuevo y mejorado Julius Randle, solo una versión suavizada, una más libre que, a pesar de las apuestas, no es poner el peso del mundo sobre esos hombros.
«La cantidad de S *** Julius toma, es difícil incluso entender cómo trata con ella», dijo el guardia de los Timberwolves Donte Divincenzo a Yahoo Sports. «Para verlo llevar la carga, noche y noche, todos saben con cuántas cosas trata, todos saben cuánta simulacro [catches]y no deja que lo perseguí, no deja que lo moleste «.
Julius Randle obtuvo lo mejor de Draymond Green en la segunda ronda. (Foto de Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Ezra Shaw a través de Getty Images)
Está cambiando cómo el mundo de la NBA lo ve, que no podría ser un jugador ganador, que tenía que ser ultra-ball dominante. Juego por juego, está sucediendo.
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«Siempre he usado eso como motivación, demostrando que la gente está equivocada y cosas así», dijo Randle a Yahoo Sports. «Pero se convirtió más en demostrarme bien. Ese ha sido el mayor ajuste y cambio en mi mentalidad.
«No es que no lo veas, prestes atención. Pero se trata más de mí que nadie. Quiero decir, creo que es la madurez de mi enfoque. Siento que el peso del mundo me queda de hombros porque solo estoy jugando, divirtiéndome.
«No es para nadie más, sino para mí y para mis compañeros de equipo y personas que me sirven y me aman. No estoy aquí para demostrar que nadie está equivocado o cambiar una narración».
Green declaró abiertamente que Randle ganó el enfrentamiento en la serie Golden State-Minnesota de segunda ronda, que los Timberwolves ganaron en cinco juegos. Y cualquiera con ojos de trabajo pudo ver cómo llevó el juego a James en la primera ronda, usándolo y cualquier otro Laker con su juego físico.
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Es su propia mentalidad de mamba.
Siempre lo he usado como motivación, demostrando que la gente está equivocada. Pero se convirtió más en demostrarme bien.
«Es una energía competitiva», dijo Randle. «Kobe [Bryant] es mi jugador favorito. No es mi jugador favorito porque crecí jugando como Kobe. Anthony Edwards es Kobe, ¿sabes lo que estoy diciendo? Todo lo que Kobe era, su mentalidad era diferente. Está tratando de romper tu voluntad. Es tan competitivo como cualquiera con el que he visto, jugando con el que jugado, jugado «.
Randle pudo ver los efectos de su fisicalidad en las dos primeras rondas, por lo que incluso si los moretones lo estaban doliendo, les estaba haciendo más daño.
«Lo ves en sus ojos. No específicamente esos dos, pero lo ves en sus ojos», dijo Randle. “Tenía tipos que me venían como ‘Ju, por favor. No esta jugada’. Ves que Dudes no está tratando de lidiar con eso.
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«No soy bendecido como hormiga con una vertical de 50 pulgadas [laughs’, so I gotta use what I have.”
He chuckles watching Edwards and his shootaround antics. There’s a genuine lightness to Randle nowadays. He’s able to step outside of his own play and be present in ways he couldn’t allow himself to be before. Cheering on teammates even if he’s not playing well, doing the little things to remain connected to the team.
Anthony Edwards embraced Julius Randle from Day 1. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Harry How via Getty Images)
“I was injured, but it was the first time I was injured (in late January) where I felt like I was still playing,” Randle said. “Because I was so engaged with the group and everybody was so welcoming.
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“I didn’t isolate myself. I’m on the bench, cheering guys on, dude comes off the court and I’m giving them advice. Just being in tune.”
He admits he wasn’t always that guy.
“No. No. No. Because I always felt like if I wasn’t playing then I wasn’t valuable,” Randle said. “I didn’t understand my voice and my leadership until I got here. So when I came back it was like, anything I can do to help these dudes win. I don’t care if I score five points. How can I be the best version of myself and help us get wins? That was my mindset. I don’t have to be anything other than myself.”
It took an amazing amount of self-awareness to get to this point, and it’s easy to see how happy he is to reach this level of zen. He leaned on his wife, his mother, whom he affectionately calls “the definition of a praying mother,” and his agent, Aaron Mintz, to help him through each struggle, each transition.
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Because it was choppy at first. The early chemistry between himself and Rudy Gobert wasn’t easy. The notable example being the late November game in Toronto where Gobert had a man sealed and called for the ball, but Randle didn’t deliver it, resulting in a three-second violation. To be fair, Gobert doesn’t have the surest set of hands, but keeping him engaged on offense means he’ll be a terror on defense — a tight walk of tight walks.
That was late in the fourth quarter of a loss, thus illustrating the disconnect. The concern that two players who had reputations of being moody would derail the Timberwolves’ chances of getting back to the conference finals was coming to bear.
“Chemistry, we had some growing pains,” Gobert told Yahoo Sports. “Some tough, rough patches during the season. But he’s resilient, I’m resilient. Our team is resilient. And I think when he came back from injury, I came back from injury that last part of the season, I think things really started to click for us on both ends.”
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Losing six of eight in late February, the Timberwolves were 32-29, but Randle was seeing things positively as he was slated to return from a monthlong right groin injury.
“It was crazy, the worst of days this season. A new situation, we’re not playing well, I’m not playing my best, it’s ups and downs … but the support from the internal organization was always great. Very inclusive, making me feel like family.”
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly took Randle out to dinner, frequently checking on him. Head coach Chris Finch did the same with text messages during that time.
“It’s never been pointing the finger, you’re the reason why we’re losing, you’re the bad guy,” Randle said. “No, it’s, ‘We got you.’”
You get around a whole new group of guys, you just feel free and fresh. That’s what he needed and that’s what he got.
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That helped ease his mind, taking more pressure off him. It led to this run, where he’s averaged 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 52 percent shooting and 40 from 3-point range during the Wolves’ 17-4 finish and continuing through to this point.
“You get around a whole new group of guys, you just feel free and fresh,” DiVincenzo said. “That’s what he needed and that’s what he got. There’s no baggage or anything else. It’s just you. He’s a good teammate, a good guy, a good player. There’s nothing he had to change. He just had to be himself.”
DIVincenzo and Randle arrived in Minneapolis together in the shocking pre-training camp trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Immediately upon arrival, the doubts about Randle’s fit with a team that just made the conference finals months before started sprouting.
And if he had stayed in New York with higher expectations given their 2024 playoff run as Randle was out with injury, he was going to be the reason things didn’t work, no matter the outcome.
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“Man, I didn’t even wanna answer my phone when the guys here started calling,” Randle said.
He was just in the Bronx the day before for a groundbreaking ceremony at the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, where he announced he would dedicate $500 to the school for every 3-pointer he made. He’d already help raise more than $1.3 million for the school to help it open.
And then, just like that, he was moved.
It was almost a lose-lose situation.
But immediately upon showing up, Edwards sought him out with open arms.
“Ant was dope,” Randle said. “He was like, ‘I’m happy as hell you’re here,’ that’s the first thing he said. I couldn’t practice during that time, just watching him how he interacted with his teammates, talking trash, all that stuff. I was like, oh yeah, this kid is the real deal, just from a leadership perspective.”
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Playing in the spotlight of New York, particularly under the circumstances of coming in as the consolation prize when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving went crosstown to the Brooklyn Nets, was glaring.
He was an All-Star three times in his six years, and so much changed around him — the front office, Tom Thibodeau arriving in his second season and Jalen Brunson taking the mantle as team leader in 2023.
Every Randle movement was scrutinized, every slumped shoulder was analyzed.
“It ain’t fun, it ain’t fun,” Randle said. “You can’t really focus on the game, you’re focused on everything else other than the game itself. You’re living and dying with every single shot, every single turnover, every single loss. It’s not a fun way to play.
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“It’s exhausting.”
He played for the Lakers as a young player, played his lone season of college basketball at Kentucky, so it’s not as if he wasn’t used to the spotlight. New York was just different, and it was probably best he got the fresh start.
“To come in with a free mind and be able to smile for his teammates, to be able to celebrate his own buckets and everybody else’s buckets,” DiVincenzo said. “It’s great to see.”
Both former Knicks have an eye on their former mates in the Eastern finals, with Randle only saying, “I’m watching,” when asked. Minnesota and New York have major work to do for that dream series to happen, and, if so, Randle’s competitive fires will stoke even more.
“I’m the type of person that my family don’t want to play Monopoly with,” he said. “I’m not trying to lose at anything, and if I do, cool, I’m coming back again. I’m coming back better.”
