SO DISAPPOINTING AS NEW YORK KNICKS COACH EVENTUALLY DREW BACK.

Julius Randle of the Knicks is Back on Track.

No NBA player has had a slower start than power forward Julius Randle of the New York Knicks. His inability to shoot the ball into the basket was setting records for inefficiency.

Randle’s difficulties were exacerbated by offseason ankle surgery, as he spent the majority of the NBA offseason recovering and struggling to find his rhythm and form. Because of this, the early production was below the caliber at which audiences have grown accustomed to seeing Randle perform.

Randle didn’t shoot over 50 percent for the first time until the ninth game of the season. Despite some poor shooting performances, he was nonetheless quite productive, making up for it with impressive rebounding and assist totals.

Randle had a poor shooting split of.295/.320/.640 through October. But as the season has progressed, his shooting statistics have improved. Randle has been playing like an All-Star and All-NBA player in the last seven games, as he has in the past.

Randle is packing the stat sheet as he averages 28.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game over his last seven games. With 57.5 percent of his shots made overall, 41.4 percent from 3-point range, and 81.3 percent from the charity stripe, he has been incredibly effective.

The Knicks are 4-3 in those seven games. They follow Randle’s lead, which is in part the reason why some think they should try to acquire a top player to displace Randle in the No. 2 spot.

Randle had been on fire in December. He has 5.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and an average of 28.8 points. With a shooting split of.614/.538/.846 against the Raptors twice and on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, he has been on fire.

The Knicks are a very tough team to slow down when Randle is playing well, which he has been the past few weeks. As the No. 3 option, RJ Barrett is emerging as a strong closer, and Jalen Brunson has demonstrated that he can close games.

Randle showed emotion and energy during Monday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, which is the kind of thing his teammates can thrive off of. The Knicks are already a team that rivals dislike having on their schedule, but if Randle can sustain that positive vibe more often, they’ll be even more formidable.

With four of their five games being played on the West Coast, New York will need more of that as they begin a five-game road trip. They then play two games at home against the Milwaukee Bucks before starting a second road trip.