Julius Randle has unlocked his true potential in his first-ever postseason run with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Julius Randle before the start of the regular season, the decision was met with huge criticism.
It didn’t help that Randle had a slow start to his debut season with the T-Wolves. However, head coach Chris Finch took his sweet time figuring out how to best use Randle in the lineup.
Fast forward to the 2025 NBA playoffs, and Randle is enjoying an excellent spell with the organization. The 30-year-old proved that as the Timberwolves registered a 102-97 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the series.
Photo by David Berding/Getty ImagesChris Finch on Julius Randle
It’s never easy to fit into a new team after getting traded. But it feels like things are finally starting to click for Randle in Minnesota.
After all, he was sensational in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Randle has now carried that form over to the Western Conference Semifinals vs the Warriors.
Coach Finch has taken notice of Randle’s performance as he recently stated: ” He’s playing with so much force and determination.
“He’s going out there early and aggressive, and he’s exerting a ton of energy on the defensive end with his body and his rebounding. He’s playing a complete game for us no doubt.”
He added: “Sometimes when it’s really sticky on the perimeter, like the holding all the time everywhere and they’re really handsy, we play through him. He just kind of gives us a pressure release.”
Earlier, Randle was focused on scoring for the team, but he is now impacting all aspects of the game and it has allowed the Timberwolves to take a 2-1 lead against the Warriors.
NBA analyst says Randle is having the best postseason of his career
According to data provided by Sofascore, Randle had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in Game 3. Apart from notching a triple-double, Randle also had 3 steals to his name.
The 3x NBA All-Star shot 43% from the field despite going 1-of-6 from the three-point line. Aside from a lackluster shooting night from deep, Randle certainly clinched Game 3 for the Timberwolves.
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Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins claimed Randle is having the best postseason of his career as he scored well against Warriors’ Draymond Green in the five-point win.
“Randle straight gave Draymond that work today. He’s playing the best basketball of his career this postseason,” Perkins tweeted.
After his breakout performance in Game 3, Randle is now averaging 22.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game in the 2025 NBA playoffs.