Julius Randle presents a nightmare problem the Spurs must overcome

The Spurs are elite defensively because they have answers for almost every type of opponent they might face. The versatility that Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Luke Kornet, Carter Bryant, and the others provide means San Antonio rarely surrenders the upper hand in a matchup. 

However, Minnesota Timberwolves star Julius Randle could be the X-wing that sneaks through San Antonio’s fortification and blows up their Death Star defense. He can be a matchup nightmare for most teams, but the Spurs specifically don’t have an obvious counter for him. How well they’re able to defend Randle could be the determining factor of this second-round series.

Stopping Julius Randle will be the Spurs' toughest challenge yet

Julius Randle has built his All-Star career with his uniqueness, leveraging the funkiness of his game to make himself tough to stop. Standing at 6’9” with a 250lb frame, he’s a bulldozer who will play bully ball and plow defenders out of the way to get to the rim and finish through contact.

But he also has silk and craft in the mid-range, and he can get to his spots and beat defenders with jumpers as well. Randle’s combination of power, finesse, and wiggle at the four spot is formidable, and it also makes him a puzzle to stop most nights.

Whoever defends him has to be strong enough to absorb his bumps and keep him off his spots, but they also need the mobility and discipline to contain his face-up game and drives while avoiding fouls. Unfortunately for the Spurs, they don’t really have a clear-cut fit for that listing.

Victor Wembanyama may be the best option, but he’ll likely be given the Rudy Gobert assignment, allowing him to roam and cause havoc. That leaves Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, or Julian Champagnie as the top candidates, at least amongst the usual starters.

Castle typically takes on stars, but he probably isn’t strong enough to slow down Randle. The same is true with Vassell and Champagnie, though.

The Spurs will need to get creative to slow down Randle

Mitch Johnson may need to rely on rookie Carter Bryant pretty heavily here. Don’t let Bryant’s age fool you; he’s an advanced defender with a pro frame and the tenacity to match. Randle might be able to goad him into foul trouble, but he’s still better suited to bang with the star than Champagnie or Vassell.

Another option is to shake up the starting lineup, inserting Luke Kornet instead of Julian Champagnie. That would let Wemby slide to the four and take on Randle, and his towering reach and length could prove to be insurmountable for Randle.

Ultimately, however San Antonio's staff decides to cover Julius Randle, he will have to work, or Minnesota could make this a much tougher series than anticipated.

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