After arriving from the New York Knicks via a blockbuster trade, the sometimes clunky style of play that Randle brought to the table didn’t help his approval rating as he tried to find his niche with the Timberwolves. It felt like a marriage that was well on its way to a divorce.

Since getting traded to Minnesota in October 2024, Randle has elevated his play. In Game 5 against Golden State, he poured in 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting, and over ten playoff games, he’s averaged 23.9 points at 50.9% efficiency.

The former Kentucky basketball standout, who tends to fly beneath the radar, has been one of the best players in the 2025 NBA playoffs so far.

Aaron Gordon might be the gold standard of the "struggling leading man to role player" transformation right now. After never finding his place in Orlando, he has become Mr. Nugget in Denver by giving up the on-ball portion of his offensive game,

After Randle averaged 25.2 points per game in the Wolves' five-game series victory over the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green issued the NBA a warning about Randle, who was a catalyst to the Wolves' postseason success so far.

MINNEAPOLIS— Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting to send the Minnesota Timberwolves to the NBA Western Conference finals for the second straight year with a 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday night.