Knicks Should Change Julius Randle's Role

The New York Knicks could flirt with lineups that have Julius Randle playing center.

Dec 16, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have to get creative with ways to change their center rotation.

Losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the New York Knicks is a massive blow and the team has to make adjustments in-house.

The team didn't find an outside option to replace Hartenstein, so there are looking to fill the void with Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, and potentially Julius Randle.

While Randle is the team's starting power forward, Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale proposes that the Knicks should allocate a third of his minutes at the center position.

"Allocating one-third of Randle's minutes to this lineup structure still amounts to quite the leap. But this is also New York's most efficient path to playing its best guys," Favale writes. "Rolling with Robinson or someone else ensures the Knicks will almost always have two of Randle, Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo on the bench. A Randle-Anunoby frontcourt yanks that number down to one. And it can shrink to zero if and when Thibs pivots to this look during Jalen Brunson's breathers."

Randle is capable of playing center, but at 6-8 he would be one of the shortest players in the league at that position. The Knicks won't be able to get away with him playing a whole lot at center, but given their current roster, it isn't that bad of an idea.

The team has a surplus of wings in Anunoby, Bridges, Hart and DiVincenzo, and coach Tom Thibodeau won't be able to play all four of those guys together with Brunson. Getting three of them on the court together won't be easy, but it is far more likely to happen if Randle is capable of playing center.

Sometimes lineups can be as simple as playing the best five basketball players you have, and the Knicks are in the best position to do that if Randle slides over to the middle.

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