Chris Finch has a lot of respect for how Julius Randle has adapted with Wolves

Finch said he's conscious that the Wolves are asking Randle to do a lot of different things.

Jan 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots against New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Boston (11) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was pleased with Julius Randle's performance in Minnesota's win over the Pelicans on Tuesday night. Randle, who has been the subject of plenty of fan criticism during the first half of his first season with the Wolves, had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, going +21 during his 35 minutes. He also played solid defense on New Orleans' Zion Williamson on the other end.

"I thought he played an excellent game," Finch said.

It was an important bounce-back game for Randle, who had just 5 points on 2-of-10 shooting in a season-low 23 minutes during Monday night's win over the Clippers.

As this season approaches the halfway point, Randle's performance is one of the more interesting storylines for this Wolves team. His numbers are down across the board from where they were in New York last year, as he's averaging 19.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists compared to 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5 assists in 2023-24. His shot attempts per game are down from 18 to 14, and his efficiency has climbed slightly as a result.

Randle has the best offensive rating (points per 100 possessions while he's on the floor) of any Wolves rotation player, but also the worst defensive rating. Despite solid box score statistics, questions persist about his fit in Minnesota's starting lineup and the consistency of his off-ball defensive effort.

Finch noted that he has a lot of respect for how Randle has handled the different things the Wolves have asked him to do this season.

"I got a lot of respect, admiration for Julius," Finch said. "His shot attempts overall are down from where he was in New York, his numbers have been in line with them too, so he's having a bit more of an efficient season for us. We've asked him to do different things at different times as our team's ebbed and flowed. 'Hey, we need you to score more. Hey, we need you to pass more. Hey, we need you to create more offense, we need you to handle more, we need you to pick up the pace for us.'

"He's tried to respond to it all. I'm always conscious that we're asking him to do a lot of things, and maybe he's not able to settle into his own rhythm sometimes. But he's been a trooper, he's guarded a lot, taken a lot of really good matchups for us, and tonight was a good example of that."

When Randle is on, the three-time All-Star looks like a strong No. 2 option for the Wolves alongside Edwards. He had 27 points, 8, rebounds, and 7 assists last week in a narrow loss to the Celtics. He had 27-8-8 against the Rockets three games before that. His season highlight was a 35-point game against the Suns in November, capped by a game-winning three at the buzzer.

But the consistency hasn't been there. Randle's fit with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels in the starting lineup has been questionable at best, not to mention the dynamic of him and Edwards — two ball-dominant scorers who like to attack in isolation — playing together. Then there's the defensive effort element that can be so frustrating at times. There have been plenty of games this season where the Wolves have looked noticeably better and more fluid with Naz Reid on the floor instead of Randle.

Within that context, it'll be interesting to see what the Wolves do before the trade deadline, which is now less than a month away (Feb. 6). Would they consider moving Randle, who is on a one-year deal with a $31 million player option next season?

For now, their focus is on continuing to try to acclimate Randle. When he plays like he did against the Pelicans, he's capable of impacting winning at a high level.