Julius Randle’s irritation was again caught on camera. This time, it was directed at a member of his team.
Video of a heated exchange with Knicks video coordinator Scott King and seemingly precipitated by Randle, who slapped King’s laptop and was separated by assistant coaches.
The incident occurred during their overtime loss to the Lakers on Saturday. Randle was also assessed a technical foul from the bench for arguing with the referees in the third quarter, although it’s unclear when the confrontation with King occurred during the game.
In the video, which was while the team was huddled up on the sideline, King is attempting to show Randle a play on his laptop. Randle isn’t interested and lightly slaps the computer. King then says something to the power forward, which prompts Randle to turn around angrily. Randle gets in King’s face and is pushed back by assistant coaches Johnnie Bryant and Kenny Payne.
Randle then walks to the other side of the team huddle and is followed by security.
On the surface, the dust-up is minor and easily dismissed. Nothing turned physical. But it’s also in the bigger picture of Randle’s deteriorating game and emotions, with the backdrop of Thursday’s trade deadline looming.
Tom Thibodeau predictably downplayed the exchange, calling it “the heat of the moment” and “normal stuff.” He added the situation was handled “immediately.”
“When you have competitive people, you’re gonna have stuff like that,” Thibodeau told reporters ahead of Monday’s game against the Jazz. “That’s normal. Every team has it. It’s competitive people, heat of the moment. They’re good. They’ve got a great relationship. Everyone is trying to win. So, it’s all part of it.”
Beyond his statistical fall, Randle this season has warred with fans, boycotted the media and received nine technical fouls, the most on the Knicks and seventh in the NBA. He was ejected from Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies, which preceded Saturday’s incident.
With a 24-29 record and free-falling, the Knicks are open for business at the trade deadline. Still, moving Randle will be difficult and an admission of a massive failure after extending his contract in the summer into 2026. One potential target is CJ McCollum, who is now the hot name with NBA veteran scribe Marc Stein calling the Knicks “a legitimate suitor.”
As far back as last year, the Knicks were monitoring McCollum’s situation and waiting for the Blazers to make him available, as The Daily News reported.
King, 30, a former player at Stony Brook and Fairfield, joined the Knicks as an assistant video coordinator in 2020. He previously worked with the Pistons and Fort Wayne Ants of the G-League.
