INDIANAPOLIS — The numbers are impressive on their own, 13 assists and two turnovers through three Knicks preseason games. But the numbers don’t tell the entire story.
They don’t illustrate how frequently Julius Randle is moving the ball, how often he swings it or gets rid of it before a turnover can happen. He’s not pounding the ball into the floor, eating up precious seconds, taking contested fadeaway jumpers.
The Knicks’ star forward believes in the team’s new offensive philosophy. He’s doing his best to isolate less and move more, to adapt and adjust to playing with a true, in-his-prime point guard in Jalen Brunson.
“I’ve just bought into what coach is doing, how he’s trying to play,” Randle said on Wednesday following the Knicks’ 109-100 loss to the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, after another strong performance from the starters. “I’m just trying to be a leader and establish pace of play, unselfishness for our team, because I feel like we’re at our best when we play like that. … It kind of happens naturally. If the shot is there, take it. [If not], drive the ball, try to get to the rim. If it’s not there, we got shooters everywhere.”
Randle committed his first two turnovers of the preseason in the loss, and really one of those wasn’t his fault: a poor pass from Brunson on which Randle was double-covered and was unable to tip it to himself. Randle scored 13 points, added eight rebounds and five assists, and continued to make a habit out of looking for his teammates; he has taken 31 shots in these three contests.
“He’s been really moving the ball, he really got us going today,” RJ Barrett said. “He got me a couple of easy ones. He’s been playing really well. … Try to dribble less, move the ball more, that’s really what it is. Move the ball, it’s harder to defend.”
There were a few occasions when Randle held on to the ball a touch too long. There were a few forced shots. But for the most part, he got his shots within the framework of the offense. The style is something in which all of the Knicks are invested. They have produced at least 24 total assists in all three of their preseason games. The offense, particularly the starters, has looked in sync.
“It’s amazing,” Randle said. “I think everybody is just playing for each other and it makes the game easy.”
It all starts with Randle, the Knicks’ offensive leader the last three years. The addition of Brunson means the ball will be in Randle’s hands less, and he has had to learn to play a somewhat different style. But that will only work if he is willing to make changes.
So far, he apparently is. In preparation for the season, Randle pored over all kinds of film. He watched a lot of European basketball, at the suggestion of a childhood friend who plays overseas.
“I think there’s a lot to learn from them,” he said. “They just make the games easy for each other.
“It’s different, it’s definitely different than how I’ve played or how the game was played when I first came into the league or even years after,” Randle later added. “The game constantly changes, constantly evolves. Just try to learn from mistakes and keep playing.”
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