NBA forward Julius Randle has explained how the COVID-19 shutdown changed his approach to basketball development, revealing that being unable to practice forced him to spend more time studying game footage.
During the pandemic, Randle was living in New York and had limited access to basketball facilities. Rather than allowing the interruption to slow his progress, he focused on analyzing other players and learning techniques he could eventually incorporate into his own game.
“I’ve done it through phases in my career. During COVID, when the season got shut down, I was in New York and I couldn’t do nothing. I couldn’t even get to the gym. So I’m just watching. I’m like, ‘All right, how can I improve?’ Just watching film, whether it’s footwork, guys like Kobe, just all different things. And then that next year I was Most Improved. Just being able to see things and see why it works is super helpful.”
Randle’s additional preparation paid off during the 2020-21 NBA season, when he enjoyed a breakout campaign with the New York Knicks and earned the league’s Most Improved Player award.
The forward explained that film study has remained an important part of his routine, particularly when preparing for opponents and understanding how different defensive schemes operate.
“I’ve got three ways I watch film. My basketball guy will send me all my edits from in-season. So say we’re playing y’all and y’all have been trapping pick-and-rolls, blitzing pick-and-rolls, whatever y’all coverage is, he’ll send me a ton of edits on that. So now when I play y’all, I know what to expect. I’m not going to panic. I’m not going to be rushed. I’m going to go at my pace. I’m going to be ready for whatever coverage y’all are in. And now I’m just comfortable.”
Beyond preparing for specific opponents, Randle also uses video analysis to study individual skills that he wants to improve during the offseason.
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He pointed to James Harden as an example of a player whose offensive techniques, including ball handling and pick-and-roll movements, can provide valuable lessons.
“Then say it’s something I want to learn in the offseason. I’ll have our Clippers people send me a ton of stuff on, say, James Harden, his sweep-through on the pick-and-roll, his pickup point, his ball handle, his footwork.”
Randle also revealed that watching highlights of his own successful performances helps him build confidence before games.
Rather than focusing exclusively on mistakes, he believes reviewing his best moments reinforces positive habits and helps him visualize executing those same movements again.
“And then when I’m just at home, for my confidence, I like to see myself do something. I’m a big believer in watching myself do something, watching how my body is moving. I’ll do it before games. I’ll do it on the drive over. Just watch the best version of yourself and then go out there and do it. I’m a big believer in that.”
