Matty Writes Sports

For only the 3rd time in Franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference Finals, a feat that seemed unlikely throughout the vast majority of the 2024-25 regular season. Throughout this time, the Timberwolves looked disjointed, struggling with spacing issues all year, and limped through much of the season.

With a 32-29 record at the end of February, many would have been quick to write the Timberwolves off. All season, the team had struggled to create open looks from beyond the arc, and much of this was attributed to the off-season acquisition of a certain Julius Randle.

Randle had been a member of the New York Knicks since 2019, where he signed as a free agent after departing the New Orleans Pelicans. During his time in the Big Apple, Randle emerged as a genuine All-Star level talent, making the game in 2021, 2023 and 2024, as well as making the All-NBA Squads in the first two years. Julius had been an excellent servant for the Knicks, but, there was always one lingering problem surrounding the 6’9 forward.

His Playoff Performances.

Julius Randle appeared in two postseason runs for the Knicks, in 2021 and 2023. In the former, Randle looked a shadow of his regular season self, as he shot just 29% from the floor in the Knicks’ 5 game defeat against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Not only did Randle shoot poorly, his body language was awful, and it was clear the playoff atmosphere seemed to unsettle him, who had never made the postseason in any of his prior 6 NBA Seasons.

However, Julius bounced back in the 2023 Regular Season, returning to the All-Star game after missing out in 2022, and returning the Knicks to the postseason. However, the shooting woes that plagued Randle in 2021 returned and, despite an improvement of 37% from the floor over two series’, the big man continued to struggle. However, he was playing through a severe ankle injury that required surgery during the offseason, which showed his resilience to even be able to suit up and contribute, despite the Knicks’ second round exit to the 8 seeded Miami Heat.

Randle played no part in the Knicks’ next playoff run in 2024, that was thwarted by the Indiana Pacers due to a shoulder injury he suffered in February. He would never play another game for the Knicks.

In September 2024, news broke that Karl-Anthony Towns, a NY Native and long term target of the Knicks, had finally been acquired by his hometown team. Towns was just coming off of the most successful Timberwolves season in 20 years, as the Wolves succumbed to the Mavericks in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. Randle was the centrepiece of the deal and, at the time, it was widely seen as a huge victory for the Knicks.

This was compounded as the Timberwolves struggled to begin the Regular Season. Without a proper off-season to get accustomed to his new team and system, Randle was learning on the fly, playing around a new look team. At first, the results were slow, and, barring a mid November game winning three against the Phoenix Suns, Randle struggled.

Randle missed the month of February, as the Timberwolves limped to a 5-8 record throughout the month, but since his return, he has been a revelation for the Wolves. They ended the regular season 22-4 in games that he played in, finishing with 49 wins and securing the 6 seed in the playoffs, where they would face one of Randle’s former teams, the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

It seemed the rest of the league were yet to catch on to how well the Timberwolves had been playing with Randle in the line-up until the playoffs rolled around. However, Randle had been an All-Star 3 times with the Knicks, and yet, his playoff performances were nothing short of terrible for a player of his standards. Once again, he would have to prove his doubters wrong. And what better way to do so, than by playing brilliant basketball.

The Timberwolves entered their first round matchup against the Lakers as the betting underdogs. I mean, their opponents had two of the best playoff performers in recent years, in LeBron James and the recently acquired Luka Doncic. No one would blame the Timberwolves for losing to the Purple and Gold.

But they didn’t.

In a series upset, the Timberwolves fully exploited the weaknesses of the Lakers, and dispatched the top heavy squad in only 5 games, with Julius Randle shining in the series. In what was easily his best playoff performance, Randle shot 50% from the floor, 39% from three point range, and averaged 22ppg and dished out 5 assists per game. The Timberwolves relied on Randle’s shot-making and passing throughout the series, elevating their offensive game and taking them past the Lakers, who had no answer for Randle’s size, something the Timberwolves knew all too well.

The Lakers played without a traditional centre for the bulk of the series. Although Jaxson Hayes would start, he would never close out games, and this was a huge advantage the Timberwolves held over the Lakers, Both Julius and teammate Rudy Gobert are huge bodies and without a traditional big on the floor, Los Angeles couldn’t stop either of them once they got going, proven by Gobert’s monster game 5, with 27 points and 24 rebounds to get the Wolves over the line.

Randle was guarded by James or Finney-Smith for the most part, and the former Kentucky forward was far too strong for either the King or DFS to be able to match up with him. He bullied the Lakers in the low post and his efficient shooting from all over the floor emphasised that.

But what surprised many was how good Randle was on defence.

Randle spent the most time guarding LeBron James of any one on the Wolves’ roster but that didn’t phase Randle; whilst Randle was registered as a defender against LeBron, the Lakers Points per possession was notably down, from their series average of 1.11PPP, against 0.75PPP whilst Julius was matched up with LeBron, showing the ultimate stinginess and defensive effort from Randle on that end.

Of course, Randle cnnot take all the credit, considering the defensive personnel that the Wolves have. Of course, this was a team that was only one year out from being one of the most historic defences the league has seen, a defence that propelled the Wolves to 56 wins and their first Conference Finals appearance in 20 years. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels also played a huge role, but Julius was far better than anyone really expected.

The big man exceeded all expectations that Wolves fans might have had in that series against the Lakers, but the best was yet to come, as the Wolves moved on to face the Golden State Warriors in the Second Round.

Here, Randle elevated to another level, upping his point average to 25, including a huge triple double in Game 3, with 24 points, 12 assists and 10 boards, as the Wolves escaped the Chase Centre with a five point W, a crucial win as the Wolves took the series lead. Against the Warriors, another team that don’t play without a traditional centre, Randle was dominant, using his size to create mismatches all over the floor.

One key difference between the Lakers and Golden State. Draymond Green.

Draymond Green had seen a late surge for DPOY, as the Warriors themselves surged after the acquisition of Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. Since then the Warriors had the number 1 defence in basketball, anchored by Green a 6’6 non traditional centre, with the strength to matchup with scorers much larger than him.

However, Randle made it look easy against the former DPOY, seemingly scoring at will. In a huge Game 5 victory to close out the series, Randle posted a team-high 29 points on 13-18 shooting, as the Wolves cruised to the next round, sending the Steph Curry-less Dubs away in 5. If the Wolves hadn’t prevailed in Game 5, Wardell would have returned, changing the entire series outlook.

The Timberwolves don’t have to worry about that problem anymore.

Finally, it seems the narrative around Julius Randle has changed; in this new-look Wolves team, Randle has shone, and propelled the Wolves to only their 3rd Conference Finals appearance in the Franchise’s 36 year history, and its second, in the last two seasons.

After the Warriors’ elimination, head coach Steve Kerr was nothing but complimentary towards Julius, who had lit up his squad’s defence all throughout the series.

“Julius Randle was incredible. What a series,” Kerr said postgame. “He’s always been a really good player in this league. I think he has taken a leap. I remember playing here early in the season and it looked like a tough fit. They didn’t have the spacing … They missed Towns. Fast forward to now, he’s 13 for 18. He was incredible the whole series. We couldn’t stop him.”

Over 10 playoff games, Randle has averaged 23.9ppg and led the Wolves to an 8-2 record.

The Wolves await for either the Denver Nuggets or the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will have to be on their A-Game to send the Wolves home, and with both teams having star big men, the pressure is on to see if Julius and the Wolves can repeat their heroics from the previous rounds.

Only time will tell.