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Wolves fans starting to sour on Julius Randle for lack of defensive effort

Through the first third of this season, Randle has been rather frustrating to watch.

Will Ragatz

Dec 6, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) reacts after being called for a foul against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (not pictured) during the third quarter at Chase Center.
Dec 6, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) reacts after being called for a foul against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (not pictured) during the third quarter at Chase Center. / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
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Twenty-seven games into his Timberwolves career, Julius Randle has been...basically everything Knicks fans said he'd be. He's put up good offensive numbers, averaging 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 48 percent shooting. But he's also been a remarkably frustrating player to watch. His stickiness with the ball can be a killer to offensive flow, and far more concerning, he doesn't seem to care enough to give consistent off-ball effort on the defensive side of the floor.

The Wolves have scored 111.5 points per 100 possessions with Randle on the floor, which is narrowly the best offensive rating of any player in their rotation (although Minnesota's 110.6 rating as a team ranks 21st in the NBA). But they've also given up 109.2 points per 100 possessions in his minutes, giving him the worst defensive rating of their rotation players.

Over the last two games, which have been ugly losses to the Knicks and Warriors, Wolves fans on social media have started to sour on Randle. Not because of what he does on offense — he actually got off to a great start on that end against his former team — but because of his lack of effort on defense.

Just watch this two-minute compilation from the Warriors game consisting of plays where Randle didn't rotate to an open man or offer any resistance as a help defender.

And that was far from a unique occurrence. There have been plays like that all season long, including this one against the Knicks where he lackadaisically trots back on defense and halfheartedly tries to pass off an open man to Anthony Edwards, leading to an easy basket:

Randle is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player. He's a gifted three-level scorer who can also be a solid on-ball defender when he's locked in. But these types of lapses in concentration and effort have followed him throughout his career, and they're a not-insignificant reason why the 14-13 Wolves have been inconsistent and disappointing this season.

Minnesota fans are quickly growing tired of it.

The trade that Tim Connelly made in late September has aged about as poorly as possible through a third of this NBA season. Karl-Anthony Towns is playing some of the best basketball of his career in New York and just took it to his old team for 32 points and 20 rebounds last Thursday. Donte DiVincenzo is shooting 33 percent from deep. And Randle, the centerpiece of the deal for the Wolves, has been a rough fit with this roster for offensive spacing reasons, not to mention the lack of hustle.

Randle's inconsistent effort is hard to understand, considering he can decline his $31 million player option next year and theoretically land a big deal in free agency if he plays well. It's also hard to excuse from a starter and All-Star level player. Chris Finch and the Wolves' coaches are watching all of the film and seeing this happen. Will they hold Randle accountable at some point if this continues?

There's still plenty of time for Randle and the Wolves to turn things around and make this season a good one. The trade was also about more than this year from a financial flexibility standpoint. But as KAT thrives with the Knicks and Randle jogs around for the Wolves, the early returns have been borderline disastrous.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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