Load management doesn't sit well with Knicks' Julius Randle
Knicks forward Julius Randle reacts in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
BOSTON — Through the years, the NBA has become more reliant on science, from shot selection to statistical analytics to, maybe most of all, load management. And while he may adhere to the science in the first two, Julius Randle is convinced he knows better when it comes to time on the court.
“The load management, taking games off, has never really been a topic of discussion in my mind for me,” he said. “I put way too much into it to take games off. For me personally, that’s just how I feel. I understand the science and all that different stuff behind it. But I guess I have my own science. For me, I feel better doing things. I’m active. On top of that, I just put way too much into my body for me personally to cheat myself out of being available for my team.’’
Of course, that was said before Sunday’s night’s 131-129 double-overtime victory over the Celtics. After scoring 31 points in 46:31, Randle said of load management: “[Expletive], I’m contemplating it right now.”
But seriously . . .
“From what I know, and just talking to my trainer, what I know about my body and experiencing it with me, understand that I am active even if I am a little sore,’’ Randle said. “Whether it’s just going outside on a walk, stretching, mobility stuff. The more I stay active doing stuff, the better I feel.
“If I feel like I’m doing a lot and I take time off, it’s like when somebody first starts working out, they start working out real hard and they’re sore, and then stop, and they work out again and they’re sore all over again. It’s better to just be consistent. That’s just my theory.”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has been criticized for his overuse of players, but Randle’s unwillingness to sit predates their time together.
Randle has played in every game this season and already has had three seasons in which he missed no more than one game, including two years ago, when he led the NBA in minutes played. This season, only Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards has played more total minutes.
“I’m from the old-school cloth, I guess,” Randle said. “To me it says something about somebody who can go out there and suit up every game and produce at a high level. Knock on wood, I’ve been very fortunate and blessed from the man above to not be injured as well. I put a lot of work into it to put myself in this position, and more than anything, I feel great.”
Randle has shown no signs of wearing down. Since the All-Star break — when he didn’t get a break, playing in the game as well as participating in the three-point shootout — he has averaged 35.1 minutes and 32.2 points per game, including his 43-point effort against Miami on Friday.
“I think it’s my mental, before anything,” Randle said. “A lot of work goes into that every day to make sure I’m mentally refreshed, coming in with a positive attitude and just feeling good about what’s going on. And I put a lot of work into my body every day, days between games, to make sure that I’m doing things and taking necessary steps and checking things off my list to make sure that every day, every game, I’m coming in feeling good.
“Meditation, prayer, sleep, it’s balance. Spending time with my kids. That refreshes me.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
