Karter Knox averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds as a freshman for the Razorbacks. (Photo via karterrknox/Instagram)
Arkansas standout freshman Karter Knox announced his return to college on Monday.
The 6-foot-6 wing entered the NBA Draft and tested well, including some solid performances in the Combine scrimmages, but ultimately decided to return to the Razorbacks for another year.
Knox averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on the season, while shooting 46.2 FG%, 35.0 3FG%, and 80.2 FT%. Those stats included a slow start to his freshman campaign, though he finished the season as one of the most efficient freshmen in the country. Over the final 18 games of the season, he averaged 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds. and 1.2 assists on 52.3 FG%, 42.5 3FG%, and 80.3 FT%.
To go along with his offensive performance, Knox is a versatile defender, able to defend the guard spots as well as power forward in some instances. His size and physicality make him a force on both ends of the floor and presents mismatch opportunities in favor of the Razorbacks.
With Knox returning, the Razorbacks now have 47.6% of minutes returning from last year’s Sweet 16 team, including three regular starters by the end of the year in Knox, Trevon Brazile, and DJ Wagner.
Arkansas now has 11 scholarship players on roster with Knox’s spot secure.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jacob deGrom had a start like no other he’s ever had in the major leagues. The two-time Cy Young Award winner didn’t strike out a batter for the first time in his career.
“I actually didn’t know that. I heard it when I walked inside, but they were aggressive early,” deGrom said after going 5 1/3 innings for the Texas Rangers in his 229th career game, a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
It was the first loss in the past seven starts for the 36-year-old deGrom (4-2), who has made 11 starts overall this season after missing most of the last two years following his second Tommy John surgery.
Daulton Varsho hit a solo homer in the first inning, and the only other run deGrom allowed came on a sacrifice fly. He gave up five hits and walked two before manager Bruce Bochy pulled him in the sixth after 81 pitches.
“They were putting a lot of balls in play early. So I was like, oh man, I might be able to go deep in this game … let’s see how deep I can go in this and try to keep them off the board,” deGrom said. “Fighting myself, started yanking the ball, walked a couple guys, just wasn’t very efficient.”
Meanwhile, Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman threw 72 of his 96 pitches for strikes — with first-pitch strikes to 26 of the 29 batters he faced for a career-high 89.7%. His first 14 pitches were strikes, and he needed only 12 of those to get through the first two innings.
Gausman (5-4) struck out six in eight innings, with all his punchouts coming after Wyatt Langford’s one-out homer in the fourth. Two of the strikeouts came when the right-hander retired three consecutive batters after Texas opened the fifth with back-to-back bloop singles.
“We got some good jam shots early in the game,” Gausman said. “Being able to pound those guys so early in the game in, it opened up for them chasing later in the game.”
As for pulling deGrom in a 2-1 game, Bochy said he wanted to lighten the load on a pitcher who threw 103 pitches over seven innings against the New York Yankees last Wednesday and at least 90 pitches in each of his two starts before that.
“He’s been working pretty hard,” Bochy said. “It’s what we thought this game would be, a tight ballgame, two really, really good pitchers going out there. They came out on the good end. … Jacob was good, their guy was really good.”
DeGrom has 1,728 career strikeouts, and entered Monday’s game with a 30.9% career strikeout rate. He had multiple strikeouts in all but one of his previous 228 starts, at Philadelphia on Sept. 16, 2020, when he had only one strikeout before exiting after two innings with a right hamstring spasm. That was 10 days after he struck out 12 Phillies in a game.
There are no physical issues this time, and deGrom said he hasn’t even thought about his workload — 63 1/3 innings through 11 starts. He threw only 64 1/3 innings during his final season with the New York Mets in 2022, when he didn’t make his first big league start until Aug. 2 after being shut down late in spring training because of a stress reaction in his right scapula.
The right-hander threw just 41 innings combined the past two seasons after signing a $185 million, five-year contract with Texas in free agency.
“I feel good. I was just fighting myself today, flying open,” deGrom said. “It’s something I’ve been working on almost every start. And today, it kind of took a step in the wrong direction. So I wasn’t able to really locate down and pitch off that with my slider.”
Yes, they had to compete in the NFC East division, and yes, they had to face the Philadelphia Eagles three times in 2024, including their 55-23 bad loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game in Philly.
Yet, there was one sphere in which the Commanders were actually quite blessed last season. So much so, that it should be remembered the odds of the Commanders having the same good fortune in 2025 is doubtful.
How blessed were the Commanders with good health in 2024?
Most importantly, even with Jayden Daniels suffering a rib injury, Daniels was able to play in all 17 games last season. Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz also led the offensive skill positions by starting all 17 regular-season games.
Along the offensive line, guards Nick Allegretti and Sam Cosmi both started all 17 games, but that will not be the case this season. Cosmi tore an ACL in Washington’s win at Detroit in the Divisional Round of the playoffs and will likely miss several games this upcoming season.
On the other side of the ball, Daron Payne, Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Chinn all started the maximum 17 games. While defensive backs Quan Martin and Mike Sainristil started 16 of the 17 games.
Consequently, the Commanders’ depth will most likely need to be called upon more often in 2025. We can’t naively assume Washington will be as fortunate and healthy in 2025.
The new clubhouse at Dykeman Park Golf Course held its soft opening Friday, with visitors stopping by throughout the day.
After breaking ground Oct. 10, the goal had been to open the clubhouse by Memorial Day.
Dean Vietti, golf course manager, noted some visitors hadn’t stopped by to play golf — they simply wanted to check out the new clubhouse. A few of the visitors came from out of town, he added, and seemed happy for the community.
“It’s been exciting,” Vietti said.
He anticipated the next few weeks at the clubhouse would be busy as Dykeman Park hosts several tournaments, but said staff members were excited for the challenge as they settle into their new routines.
A grand opening for the clubhouse will likely be held in late September or early October, after more work is completed on the course’s driving range and golf simulator.
If you’d like to stop by the new clubhouse, which is at 101 Eberts Road, the course is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
On Tuesday, May 20, the leader of the National Party, David Littleproud, announced that the party would be ending their century-long partnership with the Liberal Party. The two parties’ coalition has been the dominant centre-right and right-wing party in Australian politics, opposing the centre-left Labor Party. But following the Coalition’s historic defeat at the 2025 Federal Election, the Nationals have decided to leave the party, ending a decades long alliance.
In his announcement, Littleproud cited growing differences in policy, including budgeting and nuclear power, and the party’s poor performance at the recent 2025 election. The election itself was historic, with Liberal leader Peter Dutton losing his seat to a Labor MP (the first opposition leader to do so in the country’s history) after leading the party to one of the most decisive election defeats in Australian history. Littleproud stated that the party “remains committed to having the door open” for re-establishing the agreement, but they have currently left the Liberals to go on what many have called a “journey of rediscovery”.
The split has cast doubts on the future of both parties, as their coalition has (for the most part) been the only way either party could establish a government. Election analyst Anthony Green has stated that the coalition would have to reform by the next federal election to effectively run for government. The two parties have looked at reforming the coalition, but until then Australia remains without a significant unified right-wing opposition in parliament.
On May 17, 2025, Nasha Niva announced that Belarusian security forces had apprehended Maksim Lepushenka, the Belarusian-language Wikipedia sysop, on May 15, 2025. This became the latest link in a chain of detentions of Belarusian Wikipedians in recent months.
Lepushenka was a highly experienced figure in the Belarusian-language Wikipedia: he was a veteran editor, the sole bureaucrat, and had been a sysop since 2007. Despite his academic focus on the ancient history of Belarus, he devoted considerable time to maintaining order and resolving conflicts within the platform.
Following the detention of the sole bureaucrat, the granting of sysop rights in Belarusian Wikipedia became technically impossible.
Belarusian Wikipedia sysop Maxim Lepushenko (left) with Wikipedians. Meeting in Baranovichi, 2016 (Image: Mr. Zabej)
In early May 2025, the Belarusian authorities detained Olga Sitnik (nickname – Khomelka), an editor and another sysop of the Belarusian Wikipedia. She was given 10 days of administrative arrest and placed in a detention center located in the 1st Okrestina Lane. Authorities had previously detained her on April 17th but later released her. The release date is unknown.
Oleg Yunakov, an active contributor to Belarusian Wikipedia, shared his comments on the events.
As can be seen from Okrestina article on Russian Wikipedia:
“Okrestina” has become a household name, and the expression “to end up in Okrestina” means “to be detained” or simply “to end up in prison.” The term, named after the detention center, has become a symbol of the torture of peaceful citizens who disagreed with the election fraud and participants in the protests in Belarus (2020-2021).
Minsk resident Olga Sitnik, who dedicates herself to raising her three minor children, is an active participant in the Belarusian Wikipedia. In her free time from family responsibilities, she enriches the section with knowledge in the fields of motherhood, culture, and nature. Her contributions were recognized by the community in 2010 when she became a sysop.
Olga Sitnik (nickname – Khomelka) (Image: Victor Grigas)
These are far from the first and not the only two instances of repressive actions against members of the Belarusian wiki community.
On March 13, 2025, the editor with the nickname Kazimier Lachnovič (real name unknown) disappeared from the information space. In addition to creating articles, he was an sysop (one of four) and a bureaucrat (a user with the ability to grant sysop rights) of the “Tarashkevitsa” section. There are two language sections in Belarus – one in Belarusian and the other in Tarashkevitsa.
Tarashkevitsa, classic orthography (Belarusian: тарашкевіца, класічны/клясычны правапіс) is a variant of Belarusian orthography (including grammar and language norms) developed based on the literary standard of the modern Belarusian language. The first standardization was carried out by Branislaw Tarashkevich in 1918, and this variant was official until 1933. The name reflects its greater correspondence to Tarashkevich’s 1918 work compared to the official orthography and likely originated before World War II.
In addition to the disappearance of the sysop with the nickname Kazimier Lachnovič, at the end of 2024, a Wikipedia user with the nickname Stary Jolup, who works in the “Tarashkevitsa” section, was detained (though not formally for editing articles). Under Kazimier Lachnovič’s activity, the section stated that the state language of Belarus is Belarusian, the flag is white-red-white, and the coat of arms is Pahonia. Lukashenka, who has controlled power for decades, was described as the “head of the occupation administration.”
A week after the user with the nickname Kazimier Lachnovič disappeared, propagandist Lyudmila Hladkaya stated in her material that “Wikipedia is a weapon of mass destruction against post-Soviet countries, and the Belarusian section is edited from Poland.” The “Nasha Niva” publication suggests that the arrests of several sysops of the Belarusian-language Wikipedia in a short period appear to be interconnected, especially in conjunction with the start of attacks by propagandists, for which there are no obvious reasons. A commentator with the nickname Mkh noted under the “Nasha Niva” article:
They brought order to the media, and now they’ve turned to Wikipedia. It seems they’ve just begun the second part of their plan:
They expelled all the activists to Poland.
Now they’re shouting that “the entire Belarusian Wikipedia is edited from Poland.”
They want to impose their version of “truth” on the youth. They scolded Grisha for extremism on YouTube, and even GUBOPiK (Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption) wasn’t scared; as a result, they just barked at YouTube. Wikipedia has another feature: it stores the IP addresses of anonymous “lawyers” in open access. Just “take and go” from house to house.
It’s important to note that after 2022, in the Belarusian Wikipedia, the edit history of political articles, which allowed one to see who made the changes, became hidden at the oversight level. This means that the IP addresses and account names of editors are now inaccessible not only to readers and Wikipedia editors but even to the Belarusian section’s sysops.
The tactic of concealment was first tried in the Russian-language section, and then followed in the Belarusian one, where it was raised to the level of auditors. As Radio Liberty wrote on the symbolic date of May 9, 2022, regarding the previous high-profile repressions against Belarusian Wikipedians:
“Any of us could end up in the place of Pavel Pernikov and Mark Bernstein,” says Oleg Yunakov. “By default, everyone who edits an article remains in the edit history. And if someone previously mentioned their personal data on Wikipedia, then it’s possible to link an edit to a person. We in the Arbitration Committee made an unprecedented decision a couple of months ago: to hide all authors of edits in articles on military topics. They remain authors, but they are not visible to outsiders. Therefore, it will be almost impossible to accuse someone now. The problem is that Mark and Pavel were taken before we implemented this.”
As a reminder, Mark Bernstein was detained on March 11, 2022, by Belarusian security forces from GUBOPiK, presumably due to his alleged work on the article about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was charged on March 26 under Article 342.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (organization or participation in actions grossly violating public order), and on June 24, he received a sentence of 3 years of restriction of freedom. This term expired in January 2025, but Bernstein is still restricted from leaving the country and is required to check in weekly. His arrest caused widespread resonance in the wiki community, and human rights activists recognized Bernstein as a political prisoner.
Mark Bernstein at the 2011 Wikipedians meeting (Image: Wikimedia Israel)
Human rights activist and editor of several language versions of Wikipedia, Pavel Pernikov, was sentenced on April 7, 2022, by the court of the Moscow district of Brest, presided over by Judge Yevgeny Bregan, to two years of imprisonment in a general regime colony at the request of prosecutor Yelena Tikhanovich. The basis for the verdict was several edits in articles on the Russian and Belarusian Wikipedias, as well as a publication on the website of the International Society for Human Rights. Belarusian human rights activists recognized Pernikov as a political prisoner.
INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is “likely a game-time decision” for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks on Tuesday after spraining his right ankle during New York’s comeback victory in Game 3 on Sunday night.
“Aaron is sore today — predictably,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said during his Monday media availability at the team’s practice facility. “He will be likely a game-time decision. Probably be listed as questionable.”
Nesmith suffered the injury midway through the third quarter, when he drove along the baseline past Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns, leaped under the basket and tried to make a pass to teammate Andrew Nembhard in the opposite corner around Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and came down awkwardly:
Nesmith immediately grabbed for his right ankle with both hands before bringing up his left to cover his face. He stayed on the court for a few moments in evident pain before being helped to his feet by his teammates, limping directly to the sideline and back to the Pacers bench, where two team staffers helped him hobble back to the locker room.
Indiana led 70-57 when Nesmith checked out with 6:06 to go in the third quarter; he’d return to the bench with just over a minute and a half to go in the frame. With a red-hot Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way, the Knicks outscored the Pacers 32-18 between Nesmith first heading back to the training room for evaluation and treatment and when Nesmith checked back into the game at the 7:03 mark of the fourth, with New York holding an 89-88 lead.
Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is assisted off the court during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
“He was doing things in the hallway to get moving again,” Carlisle said after Game 3. “And then I got the word that he was good to go back in, that he was moving without limitation at that point in time. So, rather than wait, I decided the best thing to do was get him back in there so that he didn’t stiffen up any more. Down the stretch, he seemed to move OK to me, just from the eye test standing there. But I haven’t studied the film yet, and obviously, we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Nesmith missed allthreeshots he took after returning to the game, fouled Mikal Bridges on the perimeter leading to a pair of free throws and found himself on the business end of a runner in the paint by Brunson with 1:21 to go that would wind up being the game-winner:
If Nesmith is ruled out, or if he’s able to go but has limited mobility, it would deal a significant blow to a Pacers team that has defended at a top-10 level since early December, thanks partly to the 6-foot-6, 215-pound swingman’s ability to provide physical, disciplined, high-motor coverage of opponents’ top scorers.
Nesmith’s defensive value has been particularly pronounced in these conference finals, where the bigger, longer, stronger Nesmith has been far and away Indiana’s most successful option at limiting Brunson. After a subpar Game 3 that saw him shoot just 6 for 18 from the floor with a single assist against three turnovers, you’d expect Brunson to come out aggressive looking for a bounce-back performance in Tuesday’s Game 4; the odds of him finding it likely increase if Nesmith’s not there to battle him on and off the ball.
The impact would be felt on the other end of the court, too. Even aside from the flame-throwing fourth-quarter heroics that helped the Pacers pull off their unbelievable Game 1 heist, Nesmith has been a vital complementary offensive piece for Indiana all season, putting up sparkling 51/43/91 shooting splits during the regular season — 52/54/88 in the playoffs — as a credible threat to drill shots off the catch or on the move. If he’s unable to go, Carlisle would likely have to extend the minutes of reserve Ben Sheppard, who’s played very well in this series, and potentially turn back to third-year wing Bennedict Mathurin, who hasn’t.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal,” All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. “He’s been such a big part of what we do, and he is such a big part of what we do.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is “likely a game-time decision” for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks on Tuesday after spraining his right ankle during New York’s comeback victory in Game 3 on Sunday night.
“Aaron is sore today — predictably,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said during his Monday media availability at the team’s practice facility. “He will be likely a game-time decision. Probably be listed as questionable.”
Nesmith suffered the injury midway through the third quarter, when he drove along the baseline past Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns, leaped under the basket and tried to make a pass to teammate Andrew Nembhard in the opposite corner around Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and came down awkwardly:
Nesmith immediately grabbed for his right ankle with both hands before bringing up his left to cover his face. He stayed on the court for a few moments in evident pain before being helped to his feet by his teammates, limping directly to the sideline and back to the Pacers bench, where two team staffers helped him hobble back to the locker room.
Indiana led 70-57 when Nesmith checked out with 6:06 to go in the third quarter; he’d return to the bench with just over a minute and a half to go in the frame. With a red-hot Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way, the Knicks outscored the Pacers 32-18 between Nesmith first heading back to the training room for evaluation and treatment and when Nesmith checked back into the game at the 7:03 mark of the fourth, with New York holding an 89-88 lead.
Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is assisted off the court during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
“He was doing things in the hallway to get moving again,” Carlisle said after Game 3. “And then I got the word that he was good to go back in, that he was moving without limitation at that point in time. So, rather than wait, I decided the best thing to do was get him back in there so that he didn’t stiffen up any more. Down the stretch, he seemed to move OK to me, just from the eye test standing there. But I haven’t studied the film yet, and obviously, we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Nesmith missed allthreeshots he took after returning to the game, fouled Mikal Bridges on the perimeter leading to a pair of free throws and found himself on the business end of a runner in the paint by Brunson with 1:21 to go that would wind up being the game-winner:
If Nesmith is ruled out, or if he’s able to go but has limited mobility, it would deal a significant blow to a Pacers team that has defended at a top-10 level since early December, thanks partly to the 6-foot-6, 215-pound swingman’s ability to provide physical, disciplined, high-motor coverage of opponents’ top scorers.
Nesmith’s defensive value has been particularly pronounced in these conference finals, where the bigger, longer, stronger Nesmith has been far and away Indiana’s most successful option at limiting Brunson. After a subpar Game 3 that saw him shoot just 6 for 18 from the floor with a single assist against three turnovers, you’d expect Brunson to come out aggressive looking for a bounce-back performance in Tuesday’s Game 4; the odds of him finding it likely increase if Nesmith’s not there to battle him on and off the ball.
The impact would be felt on the other end of the court, too. Even aside from the flame-throwing fourth-quarter heroics that helped the Pacers pull off their unbelievable Game 1 heist, Nesmith has been a vital complementary offensive piece for Indiana all season, putting up sparkling 51/43/91 shooting splits during the regular season — 52/54/88 in the playoffs — as a credible threat to drill shots off the catch or on the move. If he’s unable to go, Carlisle would likely have to extend the minutes of reserve Ben Sheppard, who’s played very well in this series, and potentially turn back to third-year wing Bennedict Mathurin, who hasn’t.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal,” All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. “He’s been such a big part of what we do, and he is such a big part of what we do.”
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
MINNEAPOLIS — These NBA playoffs have produced some defining images on the way to the Finals: Tyrese Haliburton cementing himself as a big-city villain, Jalen Brunson as a certified crunch-time star, and Jayson Tatum writhing in pain.
But perhaps the most refreshing picture is Julius Randle, dipping his shoulder into the chests of LeBron James and Draymond Green, either as a graceful bully or a forceful finesse star.
He’s been the perfect contrast to Anthony Edwards’ shooting star in Minneapolis and, surprisingly, a connector to the rest of the Timberwolves on their run to the Western Conference finals, which the Thunder lead 2-1 entering Monday night’s Game 4.
At his best on the highest stage, Randle looks like he’s relishing these moments. He averaged 27 points, 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds in the last four games of the Warriors series, and scored 28 and 24 in Games 1 and 3 of the Western finals on 60%-plus shooting.
The bad games have been almost nonexistent, the forlorn looks and drooped facial expressions have come few and far between. It’s not quite a new and improved Julius Randle, just a smoothed-out version, a freer one that, despite the stakes, isn’t putting the weight of the world on those shoulders.
“The amount of s*** Julius takes, it’s hard to even fathom how he deals with it,” Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo told Yahoo Sports. “To see him carry the load, night in and night out, everybody knows how much stuff he deals with, everybody knows how much flak he [catches], and he doesn’t let it faze him, he doesn’t let it bother him.”
Julius Randle got the best of Draymond Green in the second round. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Ezra Shaw via Getty Images
He’s changing how the NBA world views him, that he couldn’t be a winning player, that he had to be ultra-ball dominant. Game by game, it’s happening.
“I’ve always used that as motivation, proving people wrong and stuff like that,” Randle told Yahoo Sports. “But it became more about proving myself right. That’s been the biggest adjustment and change in my mindset.
“Not that you don’t see it, pay attention to it. But it’s more about me than anyone else. I mean, I think that’s kind of been the maturity of my approach. I feel like the weight of the world’s off my shoulders because I’m just playing, having fun.
“It’s not for anybody else, but for myself and for my teammates and people that pour into me and love me. I’m not out here to prove anybody wrong or change a narrative.”
Green openly stated Randle won the matchup in the Golden State-Minnesota second-round series, which the Timberwolves won in five games. And anybody with working eyes could see how he took the game to James in the first round, wearing him and any other Laker down with his physical play.
It’s his own Mamba Mentality.
I’ve always used that as motivation, proving people wrong. But it became more about proving myself right.Julius Randle
“It’s a competitive energy,” Randle said. “Kobe [Bryant] is my favorite player. He’s not my favorite player because I grew up playing like Kobe. Anthony Edwards is Kobe, you know what I’m saying? My whole thing with Kobe was, his mindset was different. He’s trying to break your will. He’s as competitive as anybody I’ve ever seen, playing against, played with.”
Randle could see the effects of his physicality in the first two rounds, so even if the bruising was making him sore, it was doing more damage to them.
“You see it in their eyes. Not specifically those two, but you see it in their eyes,” Randle said. “I had dudes come to me like ‘Ju, please. Not this play.’ You see dudes is not trying to deal with that. I spend so much damn time in the weight room, I gotta use it. It’s one of the gifts God gave me, my strength and physicality.
“I’m not blessed like Ant with a 50-inch vertical [laughs’, so I gotta use what I have.”
He chuckles watching Edwards and his shootaround antics. There’s a genuine lightness to Randle nowadays. He’s able to step outside of his own play and be present in ways he couldn’t allow himself to be before. Cheering on teammates even if he’s not playing well, doing the little things to remain connected to the team.
Anthony Edwards embraced Julius Randle from Day 1. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Harry How via Getty Images
“I was injured, but it was the first time I was injured (in late January) where I felt like I was still playing,” Randle said. “Because I was so engaged with the group and everybody was so welcoming.
“I didn’t isolate myself. I’m on the bench, cheering guys on, dude comes off the court and I’m giving them advice. Just being in tune.”
He admits he wasn’t always that guy.
“No. No. No. Because I always felt like if I wasn’t playing then I wasn’t valuable,” Randle said. “I didn’t understand my voice and my leadership until I got here. So when I came back it was like, anything I can do to help these dudes win. I don’t care if I score five points. How can I be the best version of myself and help us get wins? That was my mindset. I don’t have to be anything other than myself.”
It took an amazing amount of self-awareness to get to this point, and it’s easy to see how happy he is to reach this level of zen. He leaned on his wife, his mother, whom he affectionately calls “the definition of a praying mother,” and his agent, Aaron Mintz, to help him through each struggle, each transition.
Because it was choppy at first. The early chemistry between himself and Rudy Gobert wasn’t easy. The notable example being the late November game in Toronto where Gobert had a man sealed and called for the ball, but Randle didn’t deliver it, resulting in a three-second violation. To be fair, Gobert doesn’t have the surest set of hands, but keeping him engaged on offense means he’ll be a terror on defense — a tight walk of tight walks.
That was late in the fourth quarter of a loss, thus illustrating the disconnect. The concern that two players who had reputations of being moody would derail the Timberwolves’ chances of getting back to the conference finals was coming to bear.
“Chemistry, we had some growing pains,” Gobert told Yahoo Sports. “Some tough, rough patches during the season. But he’s resilient, I’m resilient. Our team is resilient. And I think when he came back from injury, I came back from injury that last part of the season, I think things really started to click for us on both ends.”
Losing six of eight in late February, the Timberwolves were 32-29, but Randle was seeing things positively as he was slated to return from a monthlong right groin injury.
“It was crazy, the worst of days this season. A new situation, we’re not playing well, I’m not playing my best, it’s ups and downs … but the support from the internal organization was always great. Very inclusive, making me feel like family.”
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly took Randle out to dinner, frequently checking on him. Head coach Chris Finch did the same with text messages during that time.
“It’s never been pointing the finger, you’re the reason why we’re losing, you’re the bad guy,” Randle said. “No, it’s, ‘We got you.’”
You get around a whole new group of guys, you just feel free and fresh. That’s what he needed and that’s what he got.Donte DiVincenzo
That helped ease his mind, taking more pressure off him. It led to this run, where he’s averaged 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 52 percent shooting and 40 from 3-point range during the Wolves’ 17-4 finish and continuing through to this point.
“You get around a whole new group of guys, you just feel free and fresh,” DiVincenzo said. “That’s what he needed and that’s what he got. There’s no baggage or anything else. It’s just you. He’s a good teammate, a good guy, a good player. There’s nothing he had to change. He just had to be himself.”
DIVincenzo and Randle arrived in Minneapolis together in the shocking pre-training camp trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Immediately upon arrival, the doubts about Randle’s fit with a team that just made the conference finals months before started sprouting.
And if he had stayed in New York with higher expectations given their 2024 playoff run as Randle was out with injury, he was going to be the reason things didn’t work, no matter the outcome.
“Man, I didn’t even wanna answer my phone when the guys here started calling,” Randle said.
He was just in the Bronx the day before for a groundbreaking ceremony at the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, where he announced he would dedicate $500 to the school for every 3-pointer he made. He’d already help raise more than $1.3 million for the school to help it open.
And then, just like that, he was moved.
It was almost a lose-lose situation.
But immediately upon showing up, Edwards sought him out with open arms.
“Ant was dope,” Randle said. “He was like, ‘I’m happy as hell you’re here,’ that’s the first thing he said. I couldn’t practice during that time, just watching him how he interacted with his teammates, talking trash, all that stuff. I was like, oh yeah, this kid is the real deal, just from a leadership perspective.”
Playing in the spotlight of New York, particularly under the circumstances of coming in as the consolation prize when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving went crosstown to the Brooklyn Nets, was glaring.
He was an All-Star three times in his six years, and so much changed around him — the front office, Tom Thibodeau arriving in his second season and Jalen Brunson taking the mantle as team leader in 2023.
Every Randle movement was scrutinized, every slumped shoulder was analyzed.
“It ain’t fun, it ain’t fun,” Randle said. “You can’t really focus on the game, you’re focused on everything else other than the game itself. You’re living and dying with every single shot, every single turnover, every single loss. It’s not a fun way to play.
“It’s exhausting.”
He played for the Lakers as a young player, played his lone season of college basketball at Kentucky, so it’s not as if he wasn’t used to the spotlight. New York was just different, and it was probably best he got the fresh start.
“To come in with a free mind and be able to smile for his teammates, to be able to celebrate his own buckets and everybody else’s buckets,” DiVincenzo said. “It’s great to see.”
Both former Knicks have an eye on their former mates in the Eastern finals, with Randle only saying, “I’m watching,” when asked. Minnesota and New York have major work to do for that dream series to happen, and, if so, Randle’s competitive fires will stoke even more.
“I’m the type of person that my family don’t want to play Monopoly with,” he said. “I’m not trying to lose at anything, and if I do, cool, I’m coming back again. I’m coming back better.”
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