Knicks' Tom Thibodeau able to manage Julius Randle's workload
Knicks forward Julius Randle and head coach Tom Thibodeau talk in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
PORTLAND, Ore. — As the Knicks finished up their stay in Los Angeles on Sunday, salvaging a win over the Lakers thanks to Julius Randle resetting himself after three straight games of struggles, a question was posed to coach Tom Thibodeau.
With Randle leading the NBA in minutes played, playing every game this season and being heavily responsible for the team’s success, had Thibodeau ever tried to tell him that it might be a good idea to sit out a game?
“I don’t understand the question,” Thibodeau said, a hint of a smile forming. “No, you know, same thing. Seriously, so we talk about pacing the team, right? So there’s a number of different ways. And I know it’s in vogue to [say], ‘Oh, this guy played 38 minutes tonight, so therefore that’s too many minutes.’ Well, how do you know what he did the day before? How do you know what he did in practice? You don’t know.
“So to say someone played 38 minutes and then they need rest — well, that’s not true. And then if you’re scrimmaging in practice, maybe you hold him out of a scrimmage or maybe you have a sub with him or maybe he has a couple reps and he’s out or maybe he does nothing. Maybe he just does recovery. So there’s a lot of different ways to do it.
"Again, trust the medical people. Trust the player. We have a very young team, so when you have a young team — and Julius is just going into his prime, right? The only way they’re going to get better is by working. If they don’t work, they’re not getting better.”
While Thibodeau’s point often is dissected by the fan base, there is something to it. His teams historically have gotten stronger as the season wears on, and this season has been no different. And Randle has performed .
This brief interlude of shooting struggles perhaps had more to do with the absence of Jalen Brunson than any tired legs. Brunson has been sidelined by a sore left foot and wore a walking boot on the bench Sunday for protection. He is listed as doubtful for the final game of the four-game road trip on Tuesday night against the Trail Blazers. The Knicks don’t play again until Saturday.
Randle recently was asked if he felt well-rested and he said, “Sure. I don’t know.” Asking out has never been a consideration. He led the NBA in minutes per game while missing just one game two seasons ago and earned second- team All-NBA honors. He could find himself on the All-NBA team again this season, as the most recent NBA.com MVP ladder placed him in seventh place.
If there was any sign of fatigue it didn’t show in game No. 70 on Sunday. He was aggressive from the opening tip, scoring 18 first-quarter points and finishing with 33.
“Yeah, for sure,” RJ Barrett said. “He’s going to do what he’s going to do. It’s Julius. You expect that from him.”
Said Thibodeau, “We have a bunch of gym rats, and that’s what makes this team so enjoyable to be around, to coach, to be a part of. They’re workers. They love being in the gym. You don’t have to beg them to come in. They come in. They’re there all the time, and I know if we continue to do that, we’ll improve. And so, when your best players set the tone for that, then you’re on your way.”
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.
