Julius Randle is quietly evolving into the star Wolves critics swore he wouldn’t be

Julius Randle was nothing short of fantastic to start the season. Through seven games, Randle averaged 26 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 55.8/43.2/83.3 shooting splits. The Kentucky product has done a fantastic job keeping the Minnesota Timberwolves afloat without Anthony Edwards.

However, Randle has been heavily criticized for years, and the trade between him and Karl-Anthony Towns was initially unpopular. I believe Randle is one of the most underrated players in the league, maybe even the most underrated. Randle proves he is the perfect star next to Edwards and could even be a first option if the situation arises.

Granted, Randle struggled early last season, which is understandable considering he was adjusting to a new team. However, he found his groove in the latter part of last season and built on that momentum to put together the best playoff run of his career. At this point, Randle should have silenced any doubts about his play.

Julius Randle proves he is an elite star

Say what you will about Randle, but he has always been a gifted shot maker and isolation scorer. Nevertheless, Randle has taken this skill to another level, averaging 1.71 points per isolated possession, a number that leads the league. For reference, last season 1.39 points per isolation possession (Tidjane Salaün’s, funnily enough) led the NBA. Randle’s critics often point to his shot selection, but that’s hard to do now given his elite efficiency. Even dating back to the playoffs, Randle recorded an effective field goal percentage of 56.8 while averaging 21.7 points.

His blend of power and finesse is incredible. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound forward is an elite bruiser who can punish mismatches. At the same time, Randle’s superior ball-handling skills can help him score at will against players of all sizes. Notably, Randle shoots 75.8 percent at the rim.

Randle’s knockdown shooting has also been a key part of his season thus far. Randle is hitting 43.2 percent of his three-pointers, which would be a career high. He’s done this in a variety of ways, but his 55.6 percent on pull-up 3s stands out. Furthermore, Randle has done this while being the Wolves’ best playmaker and a lockdown-on-ball defender, holding opponents to 40.2 shooting from the field.

Randle’s extra creation and playmaking was simply something the Wolves didn’t get from Towns. The benefits that Randle brings weren’t talked about enough in the industry, and even after a great playoffs, people still somehow had doubts about Randle. Overall, Randle’s great all-around skills and start to the season should silence any negativity about him as the ideal star next to Edwards.