Julius Randle has hardly shown glimpses of his old self, leaving New York Knicks fans unhappy. The 27-year-old gave some strong comments recently and now he is paying the price.
Randle heard it from the fans, most practically wanting him out of the floor in their game against the San Antonio Spurs. New York did win but somehow, the 2021 NBA Most Improved Player hardly felt like a winner.
Chants of Obi Toppin were made by Knicks fans, apparently wanting him to see him in action over Randle. Aside from that, fans in attendance were all over Randle when he committed errors when on the floor.
Despite the violent reactions to Randle for previously saying that fans and reporters in the Big Apple were very critical, making it more difficult for him to play.
He spurred backlash when he said in a report from the New York Post that: “Really don’t give a f*** what anybody has to say, to be honest. I’m out there playing. Nobody knows the game out there better than I do, compared to what everybody has to say. So I really don’t give a f***. I just go out there and play.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau weighed in on the Randle situation and is confident that things will eventually settle down. But the important thing to do right now for the All-Star is to focus and help the team win, ESPN reported.
“Look, he’s a pro. He’ll navigate through it. The important thing is to lock into the team, your job, the next day, winning, your opponent. Get ready to go so you can play well. And look, when we play well, we know how much our fans love this team and we love them,” Thibodeau stated.
Hence, things are not going to be easy for Randle moving forward. And the only way for him to get back on the good side of fans and reporters is to show the same performance that endeared him to these groups who are now jumping all over him for his controversial rant.
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