Sour Defender Claims Knicks' Julius Randle 'Not Tough to Guard'

Despite falling victim to a dominant Julius Randle performance, Washington Wizards defender Deni Avdija wasn't impressed by the New York Knicks All-Star.

At the end of a week that featured wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks handled business against an overmatched opponent on Saturday with a 121-105 win over the downtrodden Washington Wizards. New York's fourth win in a row kept it undefeated in the new calendar year.

Julius Randle was at the forefront of the proceedings, scoring 39 points on 13-of-23 from the field. That, however, apparently wasn't enough to impress one of his Saturday opponents. 

In the aftermath of Saturday's game, Wizards forward Deni Avdija claimed that Randle was simple to guard, hinting that his physicality is the only advantage he has on opponents.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

"For me, he’s not that tough to guard," Avdija said, per Alder Almo of Heavy.com. "But probably he’s aggressive. He picks his spots and he’s trying to score honestly like he’s a big guy going into lane, getting fouls. That’s about it."

Avdija's comments are certainly strange coming after one of Randle's most dominant efforts of the season. He followed up a 1-of-11 performance on Friday in Philadelphia with his third 30-point game over the last four and got to the foul line 13 times, hitting all but three. Avdija, to his credit, had a solid game of his own (23 points, 10 rebounds), but it was far from enough to drag the Wizards away from their fourth consecutive loss. Washington was also a minus-7 when Avdija was on the floor, while the Knicks were at plus-24 over Randle's 38 minutes.

Randle's Focus On Knicks' Streak, Not Lack of All-Star Votes

With RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley sent to the Toronto Raptors, Randle has had to take on expanded duties, averaging over 35 minutes over the last four. If Randle continues to play at his current pace, non-believers like Avdija will vanish.

Randle and the rest of the Knicks (21-15) will be back in action on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).