How Julius Randle got his joy back on Christmas day

Julius Randle had himself a pretty decent Christmas, some might say.

The former Wildcat put up 25 points and 12 rebounds in front of his son and family inside Madison Square Garden as the Knicks beat the backup Hawks 101-87. The Knicks moved to 15-18 after the win and are gaining some momentum at least. Though, that’s not really the narrative people are focusing on right now.

Julius Randle credits his strong effort to the "joy and happiness" he feels for the game:

"I felt like I got that back today" pic.twitter.com/FeQwQ1ofzV

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 25, 2021

Julius trying to build off the past

It all clicked for Julius last season in New York. After one year of watching him Beyblade spin around the paint to constant boos from the New York crowd in 2019, Julius drastically reconfigured his game while sitting out of the bubble. Rumors throughout 2020 led you to believe that Randle would eventually be dumped as a cap casualty by the Knicks. Then everything changed.

Randle averaged 24 and 10 rebounds with a 41% mark from deep en route to a second-team All NBA selection in the 2020-21 season. Additionally, he doubled his assist production in that span too. Julius Randle turned himself into a bonafide superstar last season and was expected to make the Knicks a legit contender. People tried to play off the struggles in the first-round playoff series just to jitters of being there for the first time, but those struggles have seemed to carry right into 2021.

It isn’t always easy to repeat for Julius Randle

For the first time in a while, proclaiming the New York Knicks a disappointment at three games under .500 is a reasonable thing to say. The Knicks had lofty expectations heading into the year. Julius was supposed to continue the All-NBA form he was now expected to possess. Poaching Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker from a Celtics team that failed miserably seemed like an okay idea at the time.

They weren’t.

Through 33 games this season, the Knicks are on the outside looking in at the playoffs while their stars continue to struggle. Randle is feeling some of the worst of this regression. His shooting totals haven’t really changed all that much when it came to this season. He’s shooting the ball almost twice as less per game this season and his two-point percentage is almost identical to his All-NBA campaign. The difference is that he’s regressed back significantly from deep. Randle is shooting the same amount of three-point attempts but sits at 34% from deep compared to the 41% the year prior.

The early season struggles from the Knicks and Randle himself have boiled over into being clearly visible from Julius’s mannerisms. While playing for a coach that preaches defensive effort and consistency, Julius has also taken a massive step back on the defensive side of the ball.

This is the type of stuff we’ve seen far too often from Randle this season…

Wants a foul call. Doesn’t hustle back on defense. Lazily jogs back up the floor. Because he late getting back, he’s forced into a mismatch. Then plays horrible individual defense as a cherry on top pic.twitter.com/vTvI864NlM

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) December 24, 2021

It’s been an issue all season. It doesn’t necessarily seem like he’s frustrated with the Knicks but more frustrated with how he has personally performed. Julius wanted to and has taken on an insurmountable amount of pressure and responsibility when it comes to bringing the Knicks back to prominence. He wants to do it for New York as much as anyone; the backlash from Knicks fans just isn’t warranted as much as they would like to believe.

Christmas spirit may change Julius Randle

Back to the beginning. Julius said after the game that his “joy and happiness” came back during the electric win at MSG. This is not some insignificant phrase that he just tossed out while rambling. He meant that.

Favorite Moment of the Game

ATL comes out of a timeout late in the 4Q, runs this play to try and get a Bogey corner 3.

Thibs sees it from a mile away, tells Julius exactly where to go, Julius snatches it, Thibs celebrates like a psychopath, Randle comes down and drains a 3. pic.twitter.com/QrsciAETfy

— Rit Holtzman (@BenRitholtzNBA) December 26, 2021

Julius has been very vocal about how tough this season has been so far. It’s concerning because he didn’t talk like that last season; he looked to be in the best mental condition of his life. It’s gotten uncomfortable to see Julius become nearly miserable while the Knicks are still in the thick of getting their season on track. Hearing that yesterday means something.

"Why can't I just be in the Christmas spirit, dawg?" 😅

Julius Randle and John Collins on the mic 🎤 pic.twitter.com/u3zYniPR2H

— ESPN (@espn) December 25, 2021

Will it translate into the Knicks going on a tear that leads them to home-court advantage in the playoffs again? We’ll have to wait and see if the playoffs are even feasible to begin with.

Julius getting his joy back matters, on Christmas day no less.