Julius Randle is one of the best players in the NBA. He is a two-time All-Star, the reigning Most Improved Player, and the leader of the New York Knicks. He has averaged 25.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season, helping his team stay in playoff contention.
On Saturday night, Randle had one of his worst games of his career. He shot just 5-for-24 from the field, scoring 19 points in a 106-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers . He also had a meltdown at the end of the third quarter that resulted in a technical foul and a heated confrontation with a Knicks staff member.
Julius Randle’s “Fight” with Knicks Coaching Staff Member
The incident began in the third quarter, when Randle threw an elbow at Mason Plumlee. Randle was visibly upset as he walked toward the Knicks bench, where he was met by several teammates and staff members who tried to calm him down. Something triggered Randle as he approached the bench area.
He suddenly pushed away one of his teammates, and tried to fight a coach staff member, who seemed perplexed at why he wanted to throw down. Apparently he must have touched him the wrong way because Randle cursed him out angrily shouting “Don’t ever put your f****** hands on me like that”.
The Knicks team staff member didn’t show any signs of fear standing his ground as Randle confronted him.
Randle’s behavior was surprising and concerning for many observers. He is known as an overly emotional player, but in this case it seems he singled out the one person he knew wouldn’t be able to defend themselves against him in a fight. Some people speculated that Randle was frustrated by his poor shooting performance, and the coaching staff member may have criticized him prior to the altercation, which made him his target during the outburst.
The Clippers had Randle frustrated right from the opening tip it seemed like. It’s no surprise he tried attacking his own team.
