Julius Randle made his first All Star team this season after an impressive 30 games in his second year with the New York Knicks. However, CBS Sports radio host Brandon Tierney made a comment about the 26-year-old’s play that sparked intense debate on Sunday. He claimed that at his “absolute apex”, Randle was better than Chris Bosh.
“Legit question: at his absolute apex, was Chris Bosh ever better than peak Julius Randle? The answer is no,”
Legit question: at his absolute apex, was Chris Bosh ever better than peak Julius Randle? The answer is no.
— Brandon Tierney 🎤 (@BrandonTierney) February 28, 2021
“>Tierney tweeted on Sunday morning.
For plenty of reasons, the comment created passionate discussion on NBA Twitter as fans fought to compare the two All-Stars.
First of all, it must be said that Randle is in the midst of the best season of his seven-year career. Through 34 games with the Knicks, the 26-year-old big man is averaging 23.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He’s been efficient, shooting 48 percent from the floor and showing impressive range with a 41.6 percent clip from beyond the arc. Randle deserved the All-Star nod he received and will rightfully take the floor in Atlanta on March 7.
However, Bosh’s resume obliterates Randle’s. The 13-year NBA veteran won two titles with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. He also made the All Star team in 11 different seasons, acknowledging that he was one of the best 25 players in the league in all but two of the years he played. He also made an All NBA second team in 2007, an accolade that Randle has been far from in his seven seasons in the league.
By his seventh year in the NBA, Bosh had made five All Star teams and played in 11 playoff games. Randle has never been in the postseason.
Fans couldn’t hold back their disappointment at the dismissal of Bosh and took to Twitter to make the case.
Tierney’s comments did focus on the “peaks” of both players, not the entire breadth of each big man’s career. Even so, Bosh’s best numbers with the Raptors from a decade ago basically match Randle’s, despite a massive influx of scoring into the league since then. Looking at raw numbers can be misleading, but Bosh’s ability to win games early on his career without much help, speaks volumes.
If the Knicks do make the playoffs and Randle continues his astounding play this year, it’s possible Tierney’s comments can be revisited. However, Bosh will be remembered as one of the NBA’s greats, while Randle has a lot of work to do when it comes to winning games in the next phase of his career.