Knicks legend Clyde Frazier was close by when Julius Randle heard boos from the Madison Square Garden crowd during pregame introductions on Wednesday night, and believes that the response from Knicks fans towards the former fan-favorite has been too severe.
“I think some of the criticism is unfair, but obviously he brought some of it on himself,” Frazier said during the MSG broadcast of New York’s loss to the Hornets on Wednesday.
“It’s unprecedented where a star player is getting the type of scrutiny that he’s getting here. You look at his numbers, 20, 10, and 5, there are only to other players with those numbers, Jokic and the Greek Freak, and they are in the running for MVP of the league.”
Those are indeed Randle’s averages on the season, but fans haven’t appreciated his periodic lackadaisical play on the defensive end, and his shooting percentages have taken a noticeable dip from last year’s All-Star campaign. He is shooting 31 percent from downtown this season, a 10 percent decline from last year, and his field goal percentage has dropped from 46 percent to 41, the lowest of his career.
But Frazier, who hears nothing but cheers from the Garden crowd thanks to his contributions to championship teams, believes that would be forgiven if Randle showed consistent effort on the court instead of flashing a thumbs down to the home crowd, leaving the floor alone after a big win, or declining to speak to the media.
“He’s gotta play hard,” Frazier said. “In new York, if you play hard, the fans will support him. He kind of lost them with his antics with the thumbs down. Even in the introductions I heard some boos tonight.”
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