New York Knicks’ Julius Randle is declared questionable for Game 1 of first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers… but will test his sprained ankle before Saturday’s tipoff
- Obi Toppin has performed admirably while staring in Julius Randle’s absence
- Randle has missed the Knicks last five games after suffering a sprained ankle
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Star power forward Julius Randle has been declared questionable by the New York Knicks for their first-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Randle suffered a left ankle sprain on March 29th and missed the Knicks’ final five games of the regular season.
He has been taking part in portions of practice leading up to eventually being cleared for a full return, according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that Randle is expected to test his ankle before Saturday’s playoff opener before making a final decision on whether or not rejoin the lineup against the Cavs.
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Randle has averaged 25.1 points and 10 rebounds this season and has been the focal point of the Knicks offense along with point guard Jalen Brunson. He has led the Knicks in both points and rebounds this year.
Julius Randle has been upgraded to questionable ahead of the playoff series vs the Cavaliers
He has sat out the Knicks last five games after suffering a sprained ankle on March 29th
Obi Toppin has performed admirably when filling in for Randle, and provided a shift in offense
In the four games against Cleveland this season Randle averaged 23.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
If New York’s lone All-Star is unable to suit up, uber athletic forward Obi Toppin will continue to occupy his place in the starting lineup where he has impressed with increased playing time.
Throughout the final five games of the season that Toppin started he recorded 21.8 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the field, 44.4 percent from three while shooting 7.2 three-pointers, in 31.5 minutes per game.
In the Knicks season finale against the Indiana Pacers, Toppin put on a show to lead the team with a season-high 34 points.
One thing that has been noted by watchful eyes is the increased ball movement, as well as the off the ball movement of players on the court when Toppin is playing as opposed to Randle.
The numbers appear to support this fact as the Knicks averaged the New York’s assist percentage elevates from 53 percent to 58.1 percent when Randle is off the court.
At the same time the Knicks assist percentage elevates to 58.6 percent when Toppin is playing as opposed to 53.1 percent when he is not.
New York’s steals and blocks percentage also rise when Toppin is on the court as opposed to Randle, which could help counteract a potent Cavilers offense.
At the same time the Knicks offensive numbers drop on the offensive end when Randle is off of the court which may be prove even more crucial against a stalwart Cleveland defense.
The Cavaliers finished the season rankled No. 1 in defensive efficiency in large part thanks to talented seven-footers Jarred Allen and Evan Mobley.
Toppin has averaged 21.8 points when starting and recorded a season high 34 points recently
