Friday Quickies: Julius Randle’s 17-Assist Triple Double Edition

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Mar 19, 2021, 6:40am EDT

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NBA All-Star forward and former Kentucky Wildcat Julius Randle continues to showcase his talents on the NBA’s biggest stage. In Madison Square Garden, Randle is having the best season of his career wearing a New York Knicks jersey. On Thursday night against the Orlando Magic, it took all of Randle’s efforts to lift his team up and past the Magic in a 94-93 nail-biter. He finished with his third triple-double of the season, scoring 18 points with a career-high 17 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Julius Randle tonight:

18 Pts
17 Ast (career-high)
10 Reb@nyknicks win pic.twitter.com/89X4szFo11
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 19, 2021

He was a plus-9 for the game, second highest on the Knicks for the game. Ironically Randle’s best season is coming with one of his former coaches at Kentucky, Kenny Payne, on the bench with him in New York. It’s no secret that Payne’s impact is being felt and his relationship with all of the former Wildcats New York has acquired is making a difference.

Randle has always had the ability to put the ball on the floor and score in bunches. But this year his leadership and playmaking ability for others has been off the charts.