Julius Randle was a key to the Timberwolves' victory against the Pelicans, and Chris Finch gave him his flowers.

T imberwolves head coach Chris Finch was pleased with Julius Randle's performance in Minnesota's win over the Pelicans on Tuesday night. Randle, who has been the subject of plenty

Julius Randle has been under fire for much of this season. That was easy to see coming. Randle was the immediate replacement for Karl-Anthony Towns, a pillar of the Timberwolves’ organization

Even when the Timberwolves look like they're figuring it out with seven wins in 10 games, they revealed themselves as an unserious basketball team when they trailed the Warriors 34-12 after one quarter Wednesday night and wound up losing 116-115. It was the latest speed bump in a season full of inconsistencies.

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Randle played a secondary role in the Timberwolves’ 116-99 win, taking a backseat in the spotlight as Anthony Edwards dazzled with 36 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Julius Randle marked his return to Madison Square Garden with a quiet game. But his impact was felt in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-99 rout of his former team, the New York Knicks, on Friday night (Saturday Manila time).

Chris Finch has consistently lauded Randle’s abilities and efforts this season. He dove deeper into the subject when speaking to reporters Tuesday after the team’s win over New Orleans.

Finch noted that he has a lot of respect for how Randle has handled the different things the Wolves have asked him to do this season. "I got a lot of respect, admiration for Julius," Finch said.

There are many reasons to blame for the uninspiring start to the season and many reasons to believe that it can turn around.

The Wolves had the defenders in Edwards, Alexander-Walker and Jaden McDaniels to seemingly wear down New York’s star point guard Jalen Brunson. Outside of an unexpected 18-point, first-half explosion from Cam Payne, the Knicks found no real consistent offense throughout the evening.