Zach Randolph has gone unheralded for a long time. In fact, he’s struggled with reputation throughout his career. At times, it has been a deserved issue for him but of late it has been more about him being overlooked, so let’s have a look at his career and what he has evolved into with the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Drafted 19th overall by the Blazers in 2001, Randolph is working in his 10^th season in the league already, which is a little scary for me because I vividly remember that draft. 

Randolph has struggled with health over his career, including microfracture surgery following the 04-05 season.  He’s played for three different teams since being traded by Portland, beginning with the Knicks for a season and a month, then the Clippers and now the Grizzlies.

He was an All-Star last season, as well as way back in 2004, when he won the Most Improved Player award. After an unimpressive start to his career, in his third season Randolph exploded. Rasheed Wallace played about half the season for the Blazers before being traded to Atlanta (then quickly Detroit), Scottie Pippen was gone, Aryvdas Sabonis was gone; basically Portland endured a lot of roster turnover that resulted in a lot more available minutes opening up for Randolph and he turned from a nobody into a 20 ppg, 10.5 rpg player basically overnight. 

That netted him the MIP and he was “on the radar.” People talked about putting up stats on a bad team and his fairly weak and unwilling passing game, as well as him not being a stunner in terms of offensive efficiency but he was still a coveted 20 and 10 player.  That was a big change in the team’s outlook and in his career outlook as well.

In an injury riddled campaign that, as I noted before, ended with off-season microfracture surgery, he still posted nearly 20 and 10 because his game relies more upon using his bulk and his jumper than explosive athleticism.

The 05-06 season wasn’t a stirring comeback season for him, especially since it was the least efficient season he’s had as a starter and the second-worst in his career. He put up numbers, about 18 and 8, but he still struggled to finish, got criticized frequently for not drawing fouls or passing more effectively and wasn’t an iron man.  But after microfracture surgery, it was understandable; Amar’e Stoudemire, by point of comparison, played in only three games in the year he had offseason microfracture surgery, so it went a lot more successfully in that Z-Bo was back on the court right away. 

Portland had one more season of him before they traded him away and it was one of the finest of his career. Still not elite in terms of his FG% or drawing fouls, 06-07 was still one of his more efficient seasons and he threw down 23.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg as well as what remains a career-high 2.2 apg. He played only 68 games but he continued to develop as a player. 

With Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge set as Portland’s frontcourt of the present and future, he was traded with Dan Dickau, Fred Jones and the pick that turned into Demetris Nichols for Steve Francis, Channing Frye and a 2nd rounder in 2008. 

He had a forgettable 07-08 campaign and then an injury-plagued 08-09 campaign split between New York and the Clippers before going to Memphis straight up for Quentin Richardson. The Grizzlies made a 16-game turnaround when Randolph arrived, having what should be counted his best season and becoming an All-Star. Randolph posted a 20.8 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 54.6% TS (above league average at last!), a lower turnover rate than usual and fewer issues with passing. Randolph mixed well with the Grizzlies and played 81 games at 37.7 mpg, which worked out very well for Memphis.  They missed the playoffs but it was a clear step in the right direction. 

Now the Grizzlies are slightly above .500 and on pace for 42 or 43 wins, a small improvement over last season. Randolph is pretty much identical on offense (if slightly less efficient) but averaging over 13 rpg and quietly playing some fantastic basketball for Memphis. He’s struggling with his perimeter jumper, but he also isn’t shooting from range as much as he has in the past and he’s finishing better around the rim than he typically has done as well, which are both positives. Statistically, he’s having his second-best season as a starter from a standpoint of overall offensive value if you look at ORTG (112) and he’s set to match or nearly match his career-best in offensive win shares as well; the Grizzlies are winning more than they have in a while and he’s a big part of it. 

And yet Randolph didn’t make the All-Star team, overshadowed by the statistical wonder of Kevin Love on his horrific Timberwolves squad. It’s a shame; Love’s having a fantastic season, but to be honest, it would have made more sense to reward the guy on the team that’s over .500 instead of the guy whose team hasn’t won 14 games yet. Yeah, Love is averaging just under 21 and 16 and is set to become the first guy since Moses Malone in 82-83 to average 20 and 15 but come on… 20 and 13 on a much more successful team? That to me seems more deserving of an All-Star berth, even despite the gaudy and much-discussed statistical performance of Kevin Love. 

Zach Randolph is leading the league on OREB%, for reference, averaging 4.7 orpg.  Love’s actually averaging 4.8 orpg in about 0.2 fewer minutes per game but his Wolves play approximately five more possessions per game, giving him just a few more chances for boards on that end of the floor.

In any case, they’re basically of the same value on the offensive glass and that’s rather impressive given that the Wolves play faster and shoot worse than the Grizzlies.  In any case, while Love is far better on the defensive glass (leading the league), I think that since they’re close enough statistically that you reward the guy on the team with more than twice as many wins. 

There is an argument for Kevin Love, and in my next article I will discuss him in more depth. He’s a fairly intriguing player because of his ability to hit the glass like a vacuum and to play such a significant perimeter game as an offensive player, shooting threes as he does and so forth, but that’s for another time. 

Randolph, however deserves a little more attention.  He’s run the gamut of perceptions, from troubled but interesting prospect, to bench player, to Most Improved Player and offensive centerpiece, to empty-stats player, to locker room cancer, back to valuable player, then to All-Star and catalyst for a franchise’s turnaround.

And now he’s a little underrated. I wouldn’t call him criminally underrated or anything as melodramatic but I think that for a guy who has endured so much name-calling and criticism in his career as part of the Jailblazers and while languishing on the Knicks and the pre-Blake Clippers and through his various injuries, it’s time to let him hear it for playing well, accomplishing good things with his team and generally being a positive force for his franchise.