NBA Legend | Randall: Continuously breaking doubts, from data brushes to top second-in-command

Julius Randall's vision blurred when 4-year-old Kyden tiptoed to his father's trophy. In the New York Training Hall in May 2021, the spots reflected from the metal edge of the trophy jumped on the Knicks forward's cheek, like the cursor of time going back, pointing to the ever-filled backyard of Texas, where a single mother was shouting to her young son: "If you can't beat it, cry? You must win these fouls by yourself!" The whole world of teenage Julius was guarded by the walls poured by her mother Caroline Kells with sweat. The former University of Texas women's basketball athlete works in the mattress company during the day and works as an accountant at night, stubbornly amassing the "backyard dream fund." When she finally bought the house with her backyard, the cement floor immediately became a basketball Shura field. After the fourth-grade Julius defeated his mother in a one-on-one challenge for the first time, Caroline untied her No. 30 jersey and gave her solemnly: "If you don't play well, you don't deserve to use my number" - this string of numbers has since been engraved into his basketball genes and become a battle flag flying on the NBA field in the future.

The basketball stand at Pricewood Christian Academy witnessed the rise of the teenage beast. In the state championship game of the senior year of high school, Randle ran over the defense like a bull, but during a confrontation, he heard a cracked sound of his right ankle. When the "metatarsal fracture" on the diagnosis almost ruined the basketball dream, Caroline cleared all the snacks at home and pushed her son in the wheelchair into the training hall. "Shot!" Mother's voice echoed in the empty arena. He sat in a wheelchair, repeating wrist shaking movements thousands of times. In the five playoff games since his comeback, he turned into the God of Revenge and averaged 28.8 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks, leading the team to complete the three consecutive championships in the state championship. When ESPN ranked him as one of the three major geniuses in the United States, his new pattern of his right arm became faintly hot in the spotlight. In the blue and white robe at the University of Kentucky, 19-year-old Randall evolved into a double-double machine. In the smoke of the 2014 NCAA Championship, he scored two-double in four consecutive games. The rebounds were like an instinct in his bones and blood. On the night of the final battle against the University of Michigan, he crushed 16 points and 11 rebounds in the penalty area like a bulldozer. Although the championship trophy finally passed by, his epic performance of 24 double-doubles had broken the Kentucky freshman record held by Davis. In the draft report, the scouts praised it with no stinginess: "Left-handed Magician", "Pick-and-roll Final Monster", "No-Security Tyrant Who Can't Be Defended", but they were also worriedly marked with "mediocre arm span" and "right-handed technology" - these characters turned into seven sharp gazes at the 2014 draft night, penetrating his crisp suit. When Stern read out that "the Lakers chose Julius Randle in the seventh pick", the boy hugged his mother tightly and thanked the latter for his efforts over the years.

Fate showed its fangs in the 14th minute of its NBA debut. When Randall made a quick break dunk after stealing, the sound of a broken tibia on his right leg threw Staples into silence. In the locker room, Kobe's hands suddenly pressed on his trembling shoulders: "Injury is a touchstone, not a tombstone." The next day the operation was successful, and the 19-year-old boy carved Mamba's quotations into the rehabilitation schedule: 500 wheelchair shots a day and 1,000 core strength training.

When the 2015-16 season restarted, he turned into a rebounding Taotie and won 20+ 15 times, winning his first triple-double against the Nuggets.

After going through the Pelicans season, Coach Gentry's trust unlocked the sleeping long-range shooting gene. The sentence "If you want to shoot, you can shoot" is like a spell to lift the seal. When he returned to Madison in the Knicks' gown in 2019, his son Kyden's smile had been added next to his tattoo No. 30 on his right arm. On the night against the Hawks in 2021, three-pointers bloomed like fireworks on the Nets, and the 160 three-point shooting in the season actually exceeded the total of the first six years of his career. The fastest-progressing player trophy is engraved with not only data jumps, but also a player who was once labeled as a "selfish" and transformed into a tactical axis of 6 assists per game.

However, in the playoffs, Randle's performance was always disappointing. He had a bad choice and was often surrounded by his opponent. After 24 years of stopping the semi-finals, the Knicks also made a killer and packed it to the Timberwolves for Towns.

In the offseason, Randall spent the darkest period of his career. No one was optimistic about his future in the Timberwolves, nor did he think he could have a chemical reaction with Edwards, Conley and others. But the magic of Fincher is that he can always turn seemingly mediocre stones into gold. Jokic's peak and his tactical status in the Nuggets were established during his coaching period. He is a coach who is good at innovation and discovers the potential of players.

Under the guidance of Finch, Randall found his way forward again and quickly integrated into the team. This year's playoffs, he even played his best performance so far, averaging 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, a shooting percentage of 50.2%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 38.5%, helping the Timberwolves to reach the Western Conference Finals. When Edwards was unable to find his form for a long time, he was carrying the Wolves' bloody battle with the Thunder Three. After the end of the season, the Timberwolves did not hesitate and directly offered a three-year, $100 million contract renewal contract.

So sometimes, changing a team is not a bad thing. The Timberwolves found the most perfect puzzle, and Randall, he finally found the stage that suits him the most.