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The harsh spotlight of plying one’s trade in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, isn’t for everybody. Now-Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Julius Randle acknowledges that he struggled to adjust to the team’s shifting hierarchy after a few disappointing playoff performances, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Julius Randle goes deep on the struggle of his final days in NY and the comfort he has found in Minnesota. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a really long time.” Link below 👇 pic.twitter.com/brF0SETsEE— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) September 26, 2025 “You know how New York is, man. You’re under a different microscope,” Randle said. “So it’s like, you’re not just battling and trying to win. It seems like you’re battling a million different things.” More news: Knicks’ $220 Million All-Star Opens Up on Shocking Trade When Randle first joined the Knicks as a free agent on a three-season, $63 million deal in the summer of 2019, the team hadn’t made the playoffs in six years. New York was down, bad, and the 6-foot-9 power forward became a critical component of its return to respectability. When head coach Tom Thibodeau arrived in 2020, he helped unlock Randle as a passer, leading to the Knicks’ return to the postseason and Randle’s inaugural All-Star berth in 2021. He was also named Most Improved Player that season. But the 2022 arrival of Brunson and the emergence of other players had shifted New York’s priorities, causing a depressive withdrawal for Randle, per Krawczynski. He used marijuana to self-medicate and grappled with feelings of anxiety and anger. “At the end of that time, I was kind of at my darkest moment,” Randle noted. “Just miserable, like in a way where I just was not having fun going to work every single day.” Randle’s wife, Kendra, eventually convinced him to consult with a psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Amen, who helped him quit the marijuana and better manage his anxiety and depression. More news: Knicks Could Trade Young Guard Ahead of New Season Things ultimately shifted for good in the summer of 2024, when Randle’s contract was included in a blockbuster New York deal for five-time All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns. After an at-times tenuous regular season, Randle blossomed with his best postseason performance ever, helping the No. 6-seeded Timberwolves return to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season, along with fellow former Knick Donte DiVincenzo — plus incumbent All-NBA shooting guard Anthony Edwards, four-time Defensive Player of the Year center Rudy Gobert, and All-Defensive Team wing Jaden McDaniels. In the playoffs, Randle averaged a career-high 21.7 points on .502/.385/.880 shooting splits, plus 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a really long time,” the three-time All-Star said of his tenure with Minnesota so far. “Now it just feels very settled… I would say even this summer and leading up to the season is probably the happiest I’ve been in a really long time as far as just career, family, everything.” This summer, Randle declined his $29.5 million player option for 2025-26 and instead inked a three-season, $100 million deal to stick with the Timberwolves long-term. More news: Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Doesn’t Hold Back on Potentially Getting Complacent For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
