Julius Randle Passes Willis Reed In Latest Knicks Stat Landmark
The New York Knicks are used to seeing Julius Randle lead them in scoring, but the two-time All-Star is taking his offensive games to new, historic levels.
Randle moved past franchise royalty during Wednesday night's 109-94 victory over the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden: with a team-best 31 points, Randle moved passed Willis Reed for most games earning at least 30. He now holds sole possession of fifth place on that list behind only Patrick Ewing (203), Carmelo Anthony (108), Richie Guerin (87), and Bernard King (72).
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Moving past Reed undoubtedly means a lot to Randle, who spoke about the franchise legend's impact on him after his passing last March. The late Reed is one of nine players to have his number retired by the Knicks and his No. 19 hangs from the Madison Square Garden rafters on a nightly basis.
"You go to practice, you see his name, you go to the Garden, you see his name,” Randle said at the time, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “(He was) an icon in this game, a legend. He meant a lot to the game."
“It just goes to show you how strong the Knicks brand and culture is, how much the team means to the city. That was a big reason why I came here. I wanted to be a part of that, establishing our own history and culture here. We’re building towards something for sure.”
At Randle's current pace, he should catch up to King in no time: over the first 10 games of the new calendar year (which has seen the Knicks post an 8-2 mark), Randle has averaged 26.4 points on just over 47 percent shooting. He has reached the magic 30-point mark on five occasions in that span, including efforts of 39 on both Jan. 1 and 6.
Randle and the rest of the Knicks (25-17) will be back in action on Saturday against the new-look Toronto Raptors (16-26) at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
