Doc Rivers is Happy to See Julius Randle Thriving With New York Knicks
The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time this season.
Coming off of a loss against the Brooklyn Nets the previous night, a frustrated Julius Randle was looking to keep up with his notable emergence this season, which Sixers head coach Doc Rivers credited him for before the game.
“I’m just happy for him," Rivers said in regards to Randle, who really hit his stride with the Knicks this year. "I get information just from talking to Austin (Rivers), and Austin just raves about the type of human being he is and how he’s a great passer, how he out-works everybody in the gym, and how all of his teammates love him."
Last season, Randle joined the Knicks after a four-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers and a lone season with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Leading up to this season, Randle was slowly but surely showing improvements. But this season, he's taken his play up another notch and is changing the way the league sees himself and the Knicks.
"Julius Randle didn’t have that narrative before," Rivers continued. "So, when a veteran player like Austin, who has been in the league for seven or eight years, says that about a younger guy, it tells you about Julius Randle and what type of guy he is. It’s cool to hear. I love hearing stuff like that about players. I’m really happy for Julius.”
Randle didn't have the type of revenge game he wanted on Tuesday night in Philadelphia after losing his cool on Monday after losing to the Nets.
However, his 19-point effort on the road against the number one team in the Eastern Conference on the second half of a back-to-back was still impressive.
Regardless of Tuesday night's results, the Knicks have a much brighter future ahead of them than many expected at the beginning of the year. And they can thank Randle a lot for that as he's leading by example.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
