Julius Randle has declared that the Brooklyn Nets are planning to "shock the world" in the upcoming season, despite a projected win total of 24.5 and a last-place finish of 20-62 in the previous year. Randle, returning to New York City after five seasons with the Knicks and two with the Minnesota Timberwolves, expressed his belief that the team can overcome these low expectations.
"Whatever your expectations are, whatever expectations that are put upon us, we're gonna exceed them and we're gonna do things at a very high level," Randle stated Saturday at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center during a back-to-school clinic he hosted. "We're gonna build, come in with the right habits every single day, and we're gonna do exactly that."
The team's current outlook includes integrating several recent first-round draft picks and advancing its organizational rebuild. Randle, who turns 31 and has a player option at the end of the season, said he has not focused on the potential for him to make a mark with two NBA teams in the same city. He also indicated he doesn't dwell on trade rumors.
Randle was acquired by the Nets in June, a move that provided the Timberwolves with needed cap space and supplied Brooklyn with a key offensive player. He previously thrived with the Knicks, averaging 24.0 points per game in the 2023-24 season, and could become the second player, after Michael Ray Richardson, to earn an All-Star selection with both the Nets and the Knicks if he replicates similar scoring numbers.
He also spoke about his synergy with teammate Michael Porter Jr., whom Randle described as a player he enjoys playing with. "I told him that like players like him, I love playing with because of how well he can space the floor," Randle said of Porter. "He loves big shots, big moments, and, like, they always seem to know exactly like where to be. He does it at an extremely high level, so I'm excited."
Porter, who averaged 9.3 three-pointers per game last season and shot 36.3 percent from beyond the arc, is expected to serve as a catch-and-shoot wing who can play off the ball. Randle, who averaged 21.1 points per game last year alongside Anthony Edwards in Minnesota, is known for his ability to create off the dribble and his passing skills.
Randle emphasized his focus on the present, including his return to the New York City community, settling into a new home, and his children starting school. He described the transition as feeling like a "fresh start" and being a "newbie again."
The Nets' training camp, scheduled to begin later this month, will mark the start of Randle's vision for the team taking shape, moving beyond offseason discussions into the core of their competitive goals.