Knicks forward Julius Randle is having a good enough season to get MVP chants in New York, The chants followed him to Houston.
Don’t look now, but the Knicks might actually be a playoff threat in 2021.
They’ve won 11 of their last 12 games with Julius Randle setting the pace on their blistering finish to the regular season.
After a nine-game winning streak with Randle putting in stellar performance after stellar performance, it was only natural to hear M-V-P chants rain down at Madison Square Garden.
It was much more of a surprise to hear M-V-P chants for Randle in Houston.
Knicks fans are everywhere and they love the player Randle has become.
Julius Randle has carried the Knicks to put himself in the MVP conversation
On Sunday night, Randle was at the forefront as the Knicks claimed a blowout victory over the Rockets, 122-97. The forward had 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal while shooting 59 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point distance.
Randle was cooking in April and doesn’t seem to have slowed down in the slightest.
He’s come a long way from his days with the Lakers, who drafted him seventh overall in 2014. He came out of his shell in 2018-19 as a member of the Pelicans but his transformation over the last two years with the Knicks has been remarkable.
If anyone says they saw this version of Randle coming — a player capable of averaging 24.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists in a season while dragging his team up the conference standings — they’re probably lying. The way he’s sustained this stretch is the most impressive part of all.
Randle is now in the MVP conversation for real, though he’s more likely to win the league’s Most Improved Player Award. If he gets it, it’ll be well earned.
The next challenge is to translate this regular-season run into playoff success.