Why Julius Randle is a sticky fit with the Timberwolves

Randle doesn't get the ball out of his hands as fast as Naz Reid and it might be an issue.

Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Julius Randle's situation in Minnesota is sticky. Literally.

Randle isn't just known as a player who gums up the offense, he factually does. According to NBA.com's tracking stats, Randle's average touch eats up 3.27 seconds of game clock.

It might not sound like a lot, but anything over three seconds per touch is a statistic generally reserved for guards or elite players. Randle isn't an all-world scoring forward and the offense doesn't run through him like it does with Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James.

Randle ranks 79th in the NBA at 56.4 touches per game, and the only bigs in the top 79 that hold the ball longer than Randle on a per-touch basis are Giannis (4.12 seconds), Scottie Barnes (3.75) and Zion Williamson (3.99), who has only played in six games.

For context, Karl-Anthony Towns averages 2.03 seconds per touch. Joel Embiid is at 2.72 seconds. Nikola Jokic, who leads the league with 113.9 touches per game, gets the ball out of his hands in an average of 2.63 seconds.

Mike Conley averages 4.05 seconds per touch. Anthony Edwards leads the Wolves at 4.68 seconds. Kyrie Irving has the ball for an average of 3.98 seconds, and Jayson Tatum gets the ball out of his hands within an average of 3.67 seconds.

Randle is literally gumming up a Minnesota offense that ranks tied for 16th with an offensive rating of 111.8. The 2023-24 Timberwolves ranked 17th but had an offensive rating of 114.6.

Minnesota's offense is at its best when the ball is moving with intent and precision. That may be why head coach Chris Finch chose to close with a lineup that didn't include Randle in last Friday's win over Golden State. But in the second game against the Warriors, Randle was part of the closing lineup as Minnesota lost.

"Chris Finch finished with Naz Reid in Game 1 and probably didn't want to go two games in a row without giving Randle a chance to close," said Jon Krawczynski, speculating about the closing lineups against the Warriors. "But as the season goes along, those kind of politics are going to have to subside or be a secondary priority rather than a primary priority for this team."

"[Finch is] just going to have to find the lineups that work the best and I think it is clear that having Mike Conley next to Ant in the backcourt and having Naz Reid in the frontcourt with Rudy Gobert is the optimal lineup configuration," Krawczynski added on his podcast, noting that the fifth member of that lineup can be Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Donte DiVincenzo.

What do the numbers say? Well, the lineup combination of Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Reid and Gobert sports an offensive rating of 108.7 and a defensive rating of 52.2. That's an astounding net rating of plus-56.5, but it's a limited sample size of five games and 10 minutes total together.

That said, the starting five of Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Randle and Gobert have 262 minutes together and a net rating of plus-7.5, so it's not exactly a chump lineup.

But it can't be denied that Randle's methodical style of play when he has the ball is slowing down the rhythm of the offense. Reid is factually a better fit if the Wolves want a better ball-moving lineup on the floor.

Reid gets the ball out of his hands within 1.67 seconds per touch on average. That's nearly two full seconds faster than Randle. Likewise, Reid averages 0.90 dribbles per touch compared to 2.29 dribbles per touch for Randle.

It's a sticky situation with Randle, but patience may be the best approach going forward.

"There is no bigger believer in Julius Randle in this organization than Chris Finch. He really does think that Randle will help them and help them in a major way as he gets more comfortable," Krawczynski said. "I do think though that he is still learning how to fit in on the court with this group, in this system."