"It pisses me off" - Knicks' Julius Randle shares his perspective on handling criticism amid injury recovery
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has faced criticism in his basketball career. The fact that he plays in the media capital of the world only adds to the pressure associated with his craft.
Before New York, he spent time in New Orleans and LA. While the Pelicans are a small market team, the Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in the league and are expected to compete for championships.
Thus, when Randle talks about criticism, one can be assured that he speaks from experience. The topic was brought up in Episode 2 of “Julius Randle: Life’s Greater Mission.”
“There's always going to be doubters, there's always going to be naysayers," The forward said on Friday. "There's going to be people that tell you what you can't do because they haven't done it, you know, and that's always been my mindset. It's just like, ‘Block out the noise, focus.’ Does it piss me off? Hell yeah, it pisses me off."
"Does it get to me sometimes? Yeah, I'm human. You're not gonna be perfect in it. Like, I'm not perfect. You know, I'm an emotional person. It gets to me, like, it bothers me. But the biggest thing that I do is I use it as fuel. You know, when you tell me that I can't do something, that's the biggest motivation for me.”
Randle also spoke about how he channels the negative energy directed toward him into something positive:
“I love it, you know, and I'm gonna use that energy, not to beat myself up, but to use it to just prove you wrong, but just prove myself right at the end of the day. Only thing that matters is what you believe, you know, not what somebody else believes or says about you. It only matters what you believe at the end of the day.”
Randle is currently rehabbing from a shoulder injury. He initially dislocated his right shoulder in January. While it was expected that he would recover in time for the 2024 playoffs, he had to undergo surgery in April that ended his season prematurely. As per ESPN's Chris Herring, Randle is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season
Julius Randle proved his critics wrong by breaking Knicks’ seven-year playoff drought in 2021
When Julius Randle signed with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2019, not much was expected of the forward. In a disappointing first season that COVID-19 shortened, New York finished 12th in the East with a 21-45 record.
However, Randle found his best form in 2020-21, leading New York to a fourth-place finish. Even though the Knicks lost in the first round of the playoffs, it marked the end of the Knicks' seven-year playoff drought.
Randle played 71 of the Knicks' 72 regular-season games, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists. That season, he made his first All-Star team, was named the Most Improved Player, and made the All-NBA second team.