Minnesota Timberwolves star Julius Randle made a funny admission about his youngest son after his stunning buzzer-beater against the Phoenix Suns. The forward had a terrific game Sunday night, leading his team with 35 points and seven assists. He capped off the night with a step-back buzzer beater in front of his two sons, seven-year-old Kyden and three-year-old Jayce Randle.
While Kyden has been at his father’s games throughout his life, Julius explained why Jayce’s presence made this moment so special. Senior Writer for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski, gave an account of the Timberwolves star’s postgame reaction.
“Julius Randle says his 3-year-old boy hates coming to games because it’s too loud. But he was there tonight, and his dad made that building shake. Was cool to see Julius talk about how happy he was that both of his boys were there to see it.”
Julius Randle is already finding his footing with the Timberwolves
The three-time All-Star has had a solid start to his Timberwolves career overall, especially considering that Randle’s trade to Minnesota was less than two months ago. Julius is additionally coming off season-ending shoulder surgery and nine months of inactivity. Not including Sunday’s game, Randle is averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 50.6% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc.
The past two performances have been indicators that the Timberwolves’ new addition is primed to leap back into his All-NBA form from before. Randle has scored his third-highest and highest point totals of the year in Minnesota’s past two wins against Phoenix and Sacramento. At 6’9, 250, the Timberwolves forward is a very physical player who is beginning to gain more confidence in his recovering right shoulder. So long as he can stay healthy, Randle can evolve into one of the best second options in the league behind Anthony Edwards.
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While Minnesota has had a very uneven start, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers two games in a row, Chris Finch’s team is beginning to find a rhythm. Back-to-back wins against perennial playoff teams indicate that the franchise is trending in the right direction. At 8-6, the Timberwolves are currently seventh in the West. While the defense is not at the elite level last year’s was, with Randle and a more experienced Anthony Edwards, Minnesota’s offense should take a significant step up this season.
It’s also important to note that Donte DiVincenzo also had a productive outing against Phoenix on Sunday, going 5-10 from three. DiVincenzo’s improvement adds an entirely new element to the Timberwolves’ offense. In his one season with the New York Knicks, “The Big Ragu” broke the franchise record in three-pointers made. DiVincenzo was also the second-leading scorer in the regular season for much of the year and playoffs for the number two seed in the Eastern Conference.
To sum it up, Donte is clearly capable of raising his level, and Julius Randle is already elevating his game as he gets more comfortable in Chris Finch’s system. Once both are in full gear, the Timberwolves are clear title contenders that should shoot up the standings. Despite Anthony Edwards showing some frustration with the franchise’s growing pains through the season’s first few weeks, barring injury, the worst of it is over for the Timberwolves. Chris Finch’s team should only get better from here on out.
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