When the Timberwolves made the shock decision of trading away Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle in the offseason, one of the main reasons that floated was the physicality the forward brings. There have been many that have called KAT ‘soft,’ but no such terms have been used for Randle, which is something the Wolves needed.
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Julius Randle was the topic of discussion between Justin Termine and Suns legend Eddie Johnson while hosting Sirius XM NBA Radio. Johnson had high praise for the Timberwolves’ big man, even going as far as to compare him to a Hall of Famer in Karl Malone.
Malone was a dominant scoring force throughout his 19 years in the NBA, serving as the primary beneficiary of John Stockton’s playmaking wizardry. The pair combined to create one of the deadliest pick-and-roll duos in league history, evidenced by Stockton’s seemingly untouchable 15,806 career dimes.
Johnson shared his reasoning for the lofty comparison, explaining his belief that Randle is a better fit alongside Rudy Gobert than Karl-Anthony Towns was. The 65-year-old stressed that Randle’s physicality is what sets him apart from the Knicks star.
“Karl-Anthony Towns is physical, but not physical like Randle. [Randle] beats you up, he’s like Karl Malone reincarnated,” Johnson said. “It’s that combination I think that’s working for [Minnesota], more so than it probably worked last year for Towns.”
“He’s like Karl Malone reincarnated”@JumpShot8 shares his thoughts with @TermineRadio on why Randle’s physicality fits better with Gobert in Minnesota than Karl-Anthony Towns did with Gobert pic.twitter.com/M8emykYP2g
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 3, 2025
While Johnson draws a valid comparison between the pair’s strength and build, it’s clear Randle and Malone were very different players. Randle won’t be giving a Hall of Fame speech anytime soon, but he’s certainly a better passer than the Jazz legend.
Randle also creates his own shot far more than Malone ever did, which has served as both a positive and negative throughout his career. The 30-year-old has proven to be a multi-faceted talent, while Malone was almost exclusively a pick-and-roll and back-to-the-basket scorer.
Malone may not have done a ton of different things on offense, but he was the very best at what he did do. The 14-time All-Star was nearly unstoppable in the paint throughout his memorable career, thanks to his work as a roller. Meanwhile, Randle rolls just 7.9% of the time after setting a screen, further emphasizing the contrast in their games.
Julius Randle has helped the Wolves maintain their status in the West
While the jury is still out as to whether Minnesota won last year’s controversial Randle-Towns swap, the franchise can at least say they haven’t suffered a drastic falloff. The Timberwolves fought their way to the Western Conference Finals last season, so it will be hard for the team to top that, but Randle has been key in keeping Minny in the playoff landscape this year.
Johnson believes Randle is a better fit with the franchise than Towns, considering the latter was forced to play out of position with Gobert. But Towns was once the franchise’s centerpiece and leader, so Randle still has plenty to prove before the Minnesota faithful view him in the same light.
While Randle was out due to injury recently, the Wolves were faltering. However, since his return from injury, the Wolves have been on a tear, and now are well withing striking distance of the 5 seed. We’ll have to wait and see how Randle helps the Wolves close out the regular season, and what can he add to the team come playoffs.
