Julius Randle reflects on MSG return: ‘It was amazing, this court feels like home’

Julius Randle wasn’t afraid to shoot when he faced his former Knicks teammates for the first time last month — he fittingly scored a team-high 24 points for his new Minnesota Timberwolves, resembling the player that fans grew so fond of during his five-year tenure in New York.

How ironic that Randle wasn’t much of a scorer in his anticipated return to Madison Square Garden on Friday. The veteran forward contributed just eight points on six shots in the Timberwolves’ 116-99 win over the Knicks, and instead played the role of facilitator with seven rebounds and six assists.

The Knicks fanbase is still on cheering terms with Randle. He received a warm ovation from the crowd during pregame introductions, and his first shot attempt — a corner three-point airball — brought on some break-the-ice laughter. Randle’s latest performance didn’t exactly meet expectations, but he was plenty satisfied tending to The Garden again.

“It was amazing, this court feels like home. So getting able to play here is super familiar. I love it,” Randle told SNY’s Niki Lattarulo after the game. “[The ovation] was great. I gave a lot to the fans and they gave a lot back. I have a lot of pride in what we were able to do here and I’m glad they appreciate it.”

Randle, who was packaged in a blockbuster trade that brought superstar Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks in October, entered Friday averaging a respectable 19.5 points with 7.1 boards and 4.3 assists in 40 games. The Timberwolves don’t need their offense to run through him, either — they have superstar Anthony Edwards taking charge.

The Knicks saw an opportunity to improve with a stud talent like Towns, who’s in the first year of a four-year, $220 million contract extension, and they pounced. The price to acquire him simply included parting ways with Randle, who undoubtedly helped rejuvenate the Knicks with five seasons of production and reliability.

So, naturally, fans can ponder Randle’s what-ifs with the Knicks, since he left at the peak of the team’s thrilling turnaround. Before tip-off on Friday, Randle told the New York Post that he doesn’t typically think about the past. But he took the time to reflect on his Knicks journey in that moment.

“It sucks. I guess we’ll never know what could’ve been,” Randle told The Post. “I think the more unfortunate part is everything was a build, a constant build — I feel like all our teams overachieved year after year. And that team last year was our best team. So then to see if we could’ve taken it to where we had a shot, where we could’ve taken it without all the injuries, including myself. I think that was the most unfortunate part.”

No matter what’s in store for Randle with the Timberwolves, he’ll be remembered as one of the Knicks’ best in recent memory. The three-time All-Star averaged 22.6 points in his five seasons (2019-24) and ranks 17th in franchise history in points, 18th in rebounds, and fourth in three-pointers.