When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded away Karl-Anthony Towns in September, it was a somber moment for the fanbase. From the start, there became a glass-half-empty mentality from many, and some lofty expectations were placed on the shoulders of Julius Randle.
But now, with the Timberwolves putting together an excellent second half of the season and being up 3-1 on the Los Angeles Lakers in round one of the playoffs, it has been the play of Randle that has been one of the main driving factors behind Minnesota’s success.
No one would have dared speak the possibility just a few short months ago, but the Wolves truly look even better with Randle leading the way than they did with KAT. And this shockingly satisfying development serves to teach us all one important lesson: That fit truly matters more than a lot of things in the NBA.
In a vacuum, it’s certainly easy to say Towns is a better player than Randle. But that’s the thing. When you talk about building a team that can work well together and having players that complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, the last thing you want is to just throw together a group of simple talented players.
Fit matters, and Julius Randle is thriving as Edwards’ co-star
Considering how those stars and role players make life easier for one another is as important as the level of talent they have. As for the Timberwolves, we have known for several years that Anthony Edwards was going to be this franchise’s cornerstone for many years to come.
As such, building around him means putting the players that work best with his talent on Minnesota’s roster. In general, the Wolves always needed to put defensive minded guys and capable shooters around Edwards to maximize his talent. And of course, that task was going to become clearer as Edwards’ career went on, and we learned more of who exactly he was.
The thing is, when we talk about defensive power and shooting prowess, KAT only brought one of those skills to the hardwood on a consistent basis. With that in mind, it’s not so hard to understand why Randle has been able to fill in so seamlessly after a few months of taking time to adjust.
And if it weren’t already clear, Randle thriving for Minnesota in the playoffs has now also made it obvious that patience is key. We can’t take a few bad weeks of play from November and December and use it as a reason someone isn’t a long-term fit on a team.
Chris Finch spoke all year about “letting the cake bake” with this team, and his process has paid off big time. There’s still a long way to go, but no one would have believed the Timberwolves would look like an even more championship-worthy team at this juncture with Julius Randle in Karl-Anthony Towns’ place.
