Knicks at Mavs: How Hot is DFW Native Julius Randle?

New York Knicks star Julius Randle is coming off a career night entering his matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.

DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks (40-25) are set to host Julius Randle and the New York Knicks (27-38) on Wednesday. For the Mavs defense, among the top priorities will be to slow down the Dallas-Fort Worth native. 

It has been an up-and-down season for Randle and the Knicks after being one of the most positive surprises in the NBA in 2020-21. The last two performances from Randle have been a perfect culmination of his season. 

Randle was ejected against the Phoenix Suns after scoring just 10 points while shooting a poor 4-16 from the floor (25 percent) two games ago. In his last performance, he led a 20-point comeback in a 46-point performance (career-high) against the Sacramento Kings.

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Julius Randle vs. Kings

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Knicks Star Julius Star

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New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings

“When he plays with that type of intensity, it lifts everyone,’’ Tom Thibodeau said, via the New York Post. “He was attacking the basket, shooting the 3, making hustle plays. It was a great all-around game from him.’’ 

Part of Randle's career-high scoring outing was his embrace of shooting the open look from beyond the arc when those opportunities came his way within the flow of the half-court offense. At times, he tends to try to get to mid-range to make a tough play in favor of the simple one. 

“I’m taking the open look and just taking it,’’ Randle said. “Just playing and not second-guessing and shooting the open shot.’’ 

As a team, the Knicks managed to total a staggering 83 points in the second half against the Kings. After facing a 15-point deficit at halftime, New York rallied back in a major, which RJ Barrett partly attributes the team's improved ball movement to accomplishing. 

“Julius had a lot to do with that,’’ Knicks forward RJ Barrett said. “All of us had a crazy rhythm. It’s fun moving the ball and everyone gets to eat.’’ 

Given the nature of the Knicks' season, it's worth questioning, which version of their team is going to be the one that shows up against the Mavericks on Wednesday?

The Mavericks have often deployed smaller lineups with a wing playing the four almost exclusively after the Kristaps Porzingis trade. However, they do have the option of sticking Maxi Kleber on Randle alongside Dwight Powell on the floor given Kleber still stretches the floor on the other end. 

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Mavericks Double-Team Julius Randle

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Maxi Kleber Guards Julius Randle

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Maxi Kleber Guarding Julius Randle in the Post

Something that does play to the Mavericks' benefit is the Knicks' deployment of a traditional center next to Randle. As long as Dallas is taking care of the boards, they find opportunities to play off the non-shooting threat within the flow of possessions. 

Last season, Randle recorded a staggering 44 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists against the Mavericks in what ended up being a 117-109 win for the Knicks. However, his most recent outing against Dallas ended with 17 points on 6-17 from the floor (35.3 percent) with five turnovers.

On the season, Randle is averaging 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.2 rebounds with declined scoring efficiency from his All-NBA Second-Team campaign that occurred a season ago.