Julius Randle is more aggressive for the Timberwolves in their win over the Kings

SACRAMENTO – In his first game with his new teammates on Tuesday, Julius Randle tried his best to fit in, perhaps deferring to them a little too much. On Wednesday and Thursday, coach Chris Finch gave Randle a message: Stand your ground. Shoot the ball. Get going.

Randle followed that advice and led the Wolves to a 33-point victory over the Kings, 117-115. The Wolves (1-1) have their home opener against Toronto on Saturday evening.

“Finchy has been challenging me the last two days just to be more aggressive,” Randle said. “I kind of took that to heart and just played with the flow of the game.”

The Wolves' offense didn't particularly get going in the first half, and Randle carried it when it didn't. He hit difficult-looking shots in the lane, as he can effectively, and also hit from outside. The three-point shooter, who has a career 33% shooting percentage, was 5-for-6 from three-point range on the night.

“He was phenomenal,” Finch said. “He set the tone, kept us in the game early, almost all by himself. This line-up in particular is currently struggling to find a good rhythm. He was decisive. He shot the ball well, set up many shots for his teammates and played with great physicality. I also liked his defense.”

Thanks to Randle's performance and some key contributions from Naz Reid (19 points, 13 rebounds), the Wolves were up 59-55 at halftime. Behind Anthony Edwards, they found a rhythm and plenty of open looks in the second half. Edwards said he told Randle the same thing he told Finch.

“Don’t fit in with us. “We fit you,” Edwards said. “…We have a lot of players who can shoot. He's really good at penetrating the line and playing inside the line. So I just told him to be himself. We'll take care of everything else. That’s what he did.”

Randle praised Edwards and what it's been like playing alongside him so far. Edwards' decision-making opened up the offense in the second half and Finch hopes Edwards and Randle will form more of a two-man game in the future. With the amount of attention Edwards is drawing, Randle should have leeway to operate in a way he didn't have with the Knicks before Jalen Brunson's arrival.