With Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett out, Julius Randle has a heavy load to carry for Knicks
Knicks forward Julius Randle reacts against the 76ers during the second half of an NBA game Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
SAN ANTONIO — In a time of load management and cautious rest, the Knicks were the outlier, putting their three top players — Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle — on the floor every night for the first 34 games.
And then there was one.
As they readied to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, the Knicks had only one of the three available. Brunson missed his second straight game with a sore right hip, an injury suffered on Christmas Day. Barrett, who played just 1:36 Tuesday night in Dallas before suffering a right index finger laceration, missed a game for the first time this season on Thursday night and likely is sidelined for a week.
So Randle was left to handle the workload and try to carry the Knicks.
They entered the Spurs game with a four-game losing streak that had dropped them to 18-17 after an eight-game winning streak that had positioned them as a challenger in the Eastern Conference.
Before Tuesday, Barrett was averaging 20.3 points, and he had a 44-point game against the Bulls last week. Brunson is averaging 20.2 points and 6.6 assists per game. That's a tough duo to replace.
“I mean, I’ll be fine,” Randle said after the Knicks' morning shootaround at AT&T Center. “It’s a game at a time, I’m just focused on today’s game. We got more than enough guys capable of coming in and stepping up to do the job. So that’s all I’m worried about.”
While Tom Thibodeau preaches a next-man-up philosophy — like most coaches — the Knicks have relied heavily on Brunson's on-court leadership and Barrett has been the team’s leader in minutes played, serving as a two-way threat, able to defend against a vast array of scorers and contribute offensively.
Immanuel Quickley moved into the starting lineup Tuesday to replace Brunson and responded with a career-high 15 assists, but he also shot 5-for-21 (1-for-10 from three-point range). Miles McBride played a career-high 46 minutes after Barrett was forced to exit and had 14 points but shot 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. Quentin Grimes, like McBride a second-year player, has been a starter for the last 18 games and put up a career-high 33 points — but the two defensive-minded players still couldn’t prevent Luka Doncic from registering a historic 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist performance.
“They stepped up,” Randle said. “They did great, competing, making the right plays, doing the right things on offense and all that stuff. So they’re getting better by the game, every day, and I’m looking forward to them to keep going, and I’m going to help them as much as possible.
“I look forward to being there to help them in any way I possibly can. I’ve been in that position before, game to game, still learning, figuring out my role, who I am, the league, so they’ll be great.”
While Randle downplayed the notion that a larger load has been placed on his shoulders, it’s hard to argue that the absence of the two primary offensive creators alongside him affected the team.
“But that’s why they put [Grimes] out there with him,'' Derrick Rose said. "Deuce is a good set shooter, too. It’s all about [Randle] reading the play, not overusing himself or overusing the dribble to get to places and just reading the game.”
While the Knicks might not want Randle to return to his style of previous years, when he over-dribbled at times, he has shown hints of providing the production from two seasons ago, when he was an All-Star and earned a second-team All-NBA spot. He is averaging 23.3 points per game (24.1 two seasons ago), and in the last four games before Thursday, he was averaging 30.8 points and 12.8 rebounds and shooting 42.4% from three-point range. This opportunity could push him back to the All-Star Game.
“I’m just trying to focus on the team,” Randle said. “Helping us get wins, day by day, how I can improve as a player and a leader, and how we can improve as a team. Those things, if they happen, whatever it is, it’s great. But I’m more focused on the team.
“Absolutely, it’s an accomplishment to be able to do it, it’s obviously great. So it would be a great thing, but like I said, my focus is more on the team.”
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.
