Julius Randle finds his place as Timberwolves pick up first win of the season

SACRAMENTO – In his first game with his new teammates on Tuesday, Julius Randle was trying his hardest to fit in and deferring to them maybe a little bit too much. On Wednesday and Thursday, coach Chris Finch delivered a message to Randle: assert yourself. Shoot the ball. Get yourself going.

Randle took that advice, and it resulted in a 33-point night in the Wolves 117-115 victory over the Kings. The Wolves (1-1) have their home opener Saturday night against Toronto.

“Finchy challenged me the last two days, just to be more aggressive,” Randle said. “Kind of took that to heart and just played in the flow of the game.”

The Wolves’ offense didn’t have much of a flow in the first half, and Randle carried them when it didn’t. He was hitting difficult-looking shots in the lane, as he can do effectively, and also hitting from outside. The career 33% three-point shooter was 5-for-6 from three-point range on the night.

“He was phenomenal,” Finch said. “It set the tone, kept us in the game early, almost all by himself. That lineup in particular right now is kind of struggling to find a great rhythm. He was decisive. He shot the ball well, created a ton of shots for his teammates, played with great physicality. Loved his defense, too.”

Thanks to Randle’s output, and some important bench contributions from Naz Reid (19 points, 13 rebounds) the Wolves were within 59-55 at the break. Behind Anthony Edwards, they found a rhythm and plenty of open looks in the second half. Edwards said he was telling Randle the same things as Finch.

“Don’t fit around us. We’ll fit around you,” Edwards said. " … We got a bunch of players that can shoot. He’s really good at penetrating and playing inside the line. So, just told him be yourself. We’ll figure everything else out. That’s what he did.”

Randle had plenty of praise for Edwards and what it has been like to play alongside him so far. Edwards’ decision making opened up the offense in the second half and Finch is hoping Edwards and Randle will form more of a two-man game moving forward. With the amount of attention Edwards draws, Randle should have room to operate in ways he didn’t have with the Knicks before Jalen Brunson arrived.

“Ant makes the game so easy, because he’s just such a threat out there,” Randle said. “He’s unbelievable. I said it from the beginning, he’s so special. When we both get going like that, it’s a lot of fun.”

The Wolves played an imperfect game Thursday while getting the win, but they showed glimpses of who they could be. After a woeful start to the third quarter, they tightened up their defense and closed on an 11-0 run to take the lead entering the fourth. Their late-game offensive execution was productive; they were getting good looks even when they missed.

Lastly, Randle played an ideal game for what he could be in the context of the Wolves. Someone who could get his when the rest of the team struggles, but someone who can also alleviate pressure on Edwards and make plays around him.

“Killing it. He’s just getting acclimated,” Reid said. “It’s fun to see, too. He just came from a predicament where he didn’t know what was going on. We’re all happy for him, excited for him. We’re all happy for him to be here.”