The Knicks are Pretty Good (and some trade rumor roundup)

Randle is already one of only four players with more than 5,000 points, 2,500 rebounds and 1,000 assists for the Knicks. The other three members of this exclusive club are Ewing, Oakley and Melo.

After Friday's victory over the Wizards in Washington, I wrote an ode to the artistic beauty of Jalen Brunson's game following his 34/8/8 masterpiece.

In Sunday's 117-104 victory over Detroit, Julius Randle deserves the lion's share of the praise.

Randle racked up 42 points, 15 rebounds, four assists (vs. just one turnover), one block, and four 3-pointers in the win over the Pistons. It was the first 40/15 game for the Knicks in the regular season since Patrick Ewing on January 19, 1996, although Carmelo Anthony had matched the feat in a playoff game in April of 2011.

After the game, when reporters informed him of the Ewing connection, Randle replied, "Man, [Ewing}] is a legend. Respect to him. Just lets you know the kind of work that he put in when he wore his jersey. I'm honored and blessed to be able to do something that he did."

Moreover, Randle's robust line on Sunday was the only time in franchise history that a Knick notched at least 40 points, 15 boards, four dimes and four treys in the same game.

Midway through the second quarter, Julius made a three-pointer, pushing him past Bernard King for 25th place on the Knicks' all-time scoring list with 5,449 points. And, per Basketball-Reference, Randle is the first Knick with 15+ rebounds in four consecutive contests since Marcus Camby in 2001. Randle is the first Knickerbocker with at least 14 points and 15 boards in four straight games since Bob McAdoo in 1978.

Julius has now recorded a double-double in each of his last ten (the longest such streak of his career) and is averaging 29.4 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 4.3 APG and 3.6 made treys during this stretch. He is up to 26 double-doubles on the season, which is the third most in the NBA. 

Randle's statical production has been prolific the past three years and has landed him in some heady company. Despite having played just 251 games since signing with New York in 2019, Randle is already one of only four players to score more than 5,000 points, grab more than 2,500 rebounds and dish out more than 1,000 assists for the Knicks. The other three members of this exclusive club are Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony and Charles Oakley.