Julius Randle joins LeBron James, other stars on All-NBA 2nd Team

Julius Randle’s incredible season with the New York Knicks culminates with an All-NBA selection and some well-deserved validation.

Julius Randle deserves all the respect in the world for what he did for the 2020-21 New York Knicks. First, it was a surprise All-Star appearance after a great first half. Next, it was the Most Improved Player Award in a landslide. Now, Randle’s season is acknowledged with an All-NBA Second Team selection.

It’s easy to put Randle’s season in perspective after seeing who else made All-NBA Second Team with him — Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, and Chris Paul. That is rarefied air and four likely Hall of Famers.

The 2020-21 All-NBA Second Team:

? Joel Embiid
? LeBron James
? Damian Lillard
? Chris Paul
? Julius Randle pic.twitter.com/t5iZu1MahA

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 16, 2021

Randle was an absolute stud for the Knicks this season, averaging career-highs in points (24.1), rebounds (10.2), and assists (6.0) in this resurgent year.

Although the Knicks ended up falling to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, that shouldn’t take anything away from what this team and Randle accomplished.

This was Randle’s first All-NBA selection of his career and the first time the Knicks have had an All-NBA player since Carmelo Anthony was named to the Second Team in 2013.

As for the other team in New York, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was named to the All-NBA Third Team. He averaged 26.9 points on 51/40/92 shooting splits and it’s also worth noting that Irving is the first member of the Brooklyn Nets to make All-NBA.

One interesting tidbit about this year’s All-NBA selections — the Clippers are the only team to have two players named to the 15-man list.

Here is the full list of All-NBA Teams:

First Team:

Luka Doncic — Dallas Mavericks
Stephen Curry — Golden State Warriors
Nikola Jokic — Denver Nuggets
Kawhi Leonard — Los Angeles Clippers
Giannis Antetokounmpo — Milwaukee Bucks

Second Team:

Julius Randle — New York Knicks
Joel Embiid — Philadelphia 76ers
LeBron James — Los Angeles Lakers
Damian Lillard — Portland Trail Blazers
Chris Paul — Phoenix Suns

Third Team:

Bradley Beal — Washington Wizards
Jimmy Butler — Miami Heat
Paul George — Los Angeles Clippers
Kyrie Irving — Brooklyn Nets
Rudy Gobert — Utah Jazz