Many NBA players are relieved when training camp concludes and it’s time for real games to begin, but perhaps no one was happier than New Orleans Pelicans power forwards and centers tasked with an unenviable daily assignment, one that often left bruises: Defending 6-foot-9, 250-pound teammate Julius Randle during scrimmages.
“At the beginning of training camp, everybody was complaining,” said New Orleans third-year big Cheick Diallo, shaking his head. “He’s so physical. That’s his strength. You have to be ready for it.”
“He’s relentless,” said Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor, like Randle a summer free-agent addition. “He’s going to attack you. With how strong he is, and how skilled he is with a nice handle, he finds a way to score. He’s a tough cover. I feel for the guys who have to guard him every night, but I’m happy he’s on our team.”
Randle has spent the first month of the 2018-19 regular season administering punishment to opposing defenses, both in the literal sense and on the scoreboard. As an early candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, the fifth-year pro is averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, in only 25.6 minutes per game. On a per-minute basis, Randle is New Orleans’ second-leading scorer (24.6 per 36 minutes) and third-leading rebounder (12.0 per 36, behind only Diallo and Nikola Mirotic). He registered his first triple-double as a member of the Pelicans on Monday, notching 21 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in just 25 minutes, becoming only the fourth player since ’83-84 to author a triple-double in 25 minutes or less. While coming off the bench 14 times out of 17 games, Randle has been a dominant member of the reserve group, a go-to guy who can get a basket or create for teammates.
“He’s done a great job with that, and I think he sees a good role for himself on that second unit,” Pelicans fourth-year head coach Alvin Gentry said of Randle, who has three games of five-plus assists. “We’ve been able to play through him offensively, and his ability to facilitate plays at that position has been really helpful for us. He’s been able to get guys shots from post-ups, because he’s forced double-teams and the kickout (passes) have been there. He can facilitate, but also create offense for himself. In that second unit, that’s something we badly need.”
After four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Randle signed with New Orleans early in free agency, basing his decision on which team provided the best fit. Following his Monday triple-double, Randle sounded like he has found exactly that in the Big Easy.
“I feel like I’m the best I’ve been,” he said of playing in New Orleans, during a postgame TV interview with Jennifer Hale. “It’s been a perfect spot for me. I just try to take advantage of it, play hard every night. My teammates do a good job of just letting me be me.”
New Orleans players have quickly grown to appreciate what Randle delivers to a lineup – and are extremely grateful that he’s a teammate now, instead of an opponent.
“He brings a physical specimen to our team,” said Pelicans wing E’Twaun Moore, who like Randle is enjoying the best season of his NBA career. “With him getting in the paint and being aggressive, any time we need a bucket, you can go to him and let him make a play.”
“He’s so physical and so strong,” said forward Darius Miller, a member of the Pelicans’ second unit alongside Randle. “He’s a rough matchup for pretty much anybody in the league. You can tell that the people who guard him, they’re tired on the (offensive) end, so it makes a huge difference.
“I would hate to guard him.”