Randle Makes More Knicks History With Barrett, Quickley Watching
On a night where they showed appreciation for their past, the New York Knicks proved that their present looks pretty bright as well.
With former teammates RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley back in town, the Knicks put up a 126-100 victory over their Toronto Raptors in the first meeting since a Dec. 30 deal sent the homegrown duo up north for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. With the deal, Anunoby joined the current core led by fellow imports Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Brunson led the Knicks with 38 points but Randle's performance proved historic on a local level: the two-time All-Star put forth an 18-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, the 14th of his NBA career and his eighth as a New Yorker.
Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS
On the Knicks' all-time ledgers, Randle is now one of only four to pick up at least eight triple-doubles. Only Walt "Clyde" Frazier (23), Michael Ray Richardson (18), and Richie Guerin (16) have earned more in a Knicks jersey.
Randle continued to establish himself among Knicks royalty but was more content about the return of his former comrades than his place in New York history.
“They mean a lot to me,” Randle said in his postgame interview with Rebecca Haarlow of MSG Network. “That relationship that I built with them the four years that they were here ... (was) really special."
"That’s something I'll take with me forever. Those guys mean a lot to me and I want the best for them. New York should be extremely proud of them. They raised them ... They were brought up here and now they’re gonna take off and they're gonna flourish for many more years. So, I'm proud of them.”
Barrett and Quickley were added in consecutive drafts to build a core around Randle. Quickley established himself as a consistent bench contributor but Barrett never truly lived up to his third-pick billing. Both are poised to guide the Raptors into the future as they continue to sell off pieces of their 2019 title team.
But Randle, one of the Knicks' undisputed headliners, has his own legacy to write and has a prime opportunity to do so with New York (26-17) prevailing in each of its last three. His next chance to impress comes on Tuesday when the Knicks play a road game in their city against the Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
