Julius Randle Stats Tonight: How did 3x All-Star perform in Timberwolves preseason debut?

Julius Randle made his preseason debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls. Randle was acquired by the Timberwolves from the New York Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade earlier this month.

Randle has fully recovered from shoulder surgery that ended his campaign prematurely for the Knicks last season. He started alongside Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert for his first game of the preseason as teams begin to ramp up minutes for the starters.

The three-time NBA All-Star had a solid debut, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. He played until the third quarter as the Timberwolves comeback fell short, with the Bulls coming away with the 125-123 win.

Here are Randle's stats for the game:

Players	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	+/-
Julius Randle	15	6	5	1	0	2	2	26:17	6-12	0-0	3-4	-5

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How did Julius Randle perform in his Timberwolves preseason debut?

Julius Randle played 18 minutes in the first half, putting up seven points, five rebounds and five assists in 18 minutes. Randle went 3-for-6 from the field and looked comfortable alongside his new teammates. He is the team's second scoring option and an additional ball-handler when needed.

Randle was a little more aggressive in the second half, taking advantage of mismatches against smaller defenders. He is a capable scorer on the block, while also having the ability to kick out the ball to the open shooter.

With the three-time All-Star's addition, the Timberwolves can mix and match their lineups based on their opponents. Randle can play center if there's a need to go small ball. He could also play alongside Rudy Gobert if the Timberwolves want to load the pain.

Randle can even be on the same lineup with Naz Reid, who is expected to fill the role left by Karl-Anthony Towns. Reid can make shots from long distances although he's best suited as the microwave scorer off the bench.

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Julius Randle reflects on Timberwolves trade

Speaking to the New York Post ahead of the preseason game between the Knicks and Timberwolves on Sunday, Randle opened up about the trade that sent him to Minneapolis.

Randle was recovering from shoulder surgery when the Knicks shipped him and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns. He's not moping about what happened and is entirely focused on helping the Timberwolves achieve their goals for the season.

"My whole thing has always been since the day I got here is control what you can control," Randle said. "And if that opportunity presented itself, I would’ve been ready for it. It didn’t and honestly, I'm really happy and excited and blessed. I've got unfinished business here and that's what I'm choosing to focus on."

Randle spent five seasons in New York and had his best years there. He was a three-time All-Star and led the Knicks to the playoffs three times although he missed all of last postseason due to his shoulder injury.