The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 108-104 on Friday night. After the loss, head coach Chris Finch criticized Julius Randle for his effort, or lack thereof, on the glass.
According to Timberwolves reporter Dan Moore, speaking to media members on Saturday morning, Finch name-dropped Randle when he criticized his team for struggling to rebound the ball in recent games. Finch is clearly not impressed with the 31-year-old's stellar efforts.
“We just have to get the rebound, and we can't,” Finch said. "From the time the shot goes up, it takes a while... It's been like that for a while. It's not good enough... Julius has three defensive rebounds, which is not good enough. Just not good enough."
Chris Finch on the Wolves' recent rebounding issues and Julius Randle's efforts on the glass being "not good enough."
"We just have to get a rebound, and we can't. There's like a lag from the time the shot goes up... It's been like that for a while. It's not like that at all... pic.twitter.com/6CiWWjZjCM
- Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) 21 March 2026
Julius Randle finished Friday's contest with 19 points (team high), five rebounds, four assists and one steal. He shot only 37.5% from the floor and failed to record a single three-point shot. Rudy Gobert (15 boards) and Ayo Dosunmu (10 boards) led the Timberwolves in rebounding against the Blazers.
Chris Finch, who is 56, might be right to call out the 12-year veteran for his bruising struggles. Randle is averaging a career-low 6.8 rebounds per contest this season. In fact, his rebounding numbers have decreased in every season since the 2022-23 campaign.
In 71 games played this year, Julius Randle is averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 48.4% from the field and 31.4% from beyond the three-point line. Randle will have another chance to return as a rebounder on Sunday when the Timberwolves take on the Boston Celtics.
