Julius Randle, rumbling down the open court, took one dribble and leaped a foot outside of the restricted area. With his head nearly at rim-level, he cocked the ball at his chin, spun it 180 degrees in his left hand, and forcefully threw in a windmill dunk.
He made a statement.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!?!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/olD3tcrNAA
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 12, 2026
It was Randle’s first windmill dunk since his high school days playing for Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Tx. Randle’s slam on Thursday against the Portland Trailblazers gave him 41 points, his highest scoring effort in a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform. The Wolves beat Portland 133-109, and Randle said something without saying anything.
“I know he was disappointed that he wasn’t named an All-Star,” Finch said after Thursday’s game. “I think he took this game quite personally in that regard.”
After the game, Julius Randle posted a compilation of photos and videos on Instagram, including his windmill dunk. The caption on that post:
“Receipt keeper 📝”
Randle believes he should have represented Team USA during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. But the statement he made last week went beyond proving just that.
SIT BACK, RELAX, AND ENJOY THIS DUNK. https://t.co/W2R6MGB1Nn pic.twitter.com/6ykUBEvOlr
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 12, 2026
Anthony Edwards, Bones Hyland, and Joe Ingels mobbed Randle at halfcourt after his slam. It’s the type of moment that Wolves fans have seen more times than they can count over the last three seasons — incredible vibes from a close-knit team.
However, three days before that moment, the Wolves were a dejected and disconnected bunch after losing 115-96 at home to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“You can feel the energy and the difference when we’re all connected, and we are all focused and on one mission and on the same page,” said Randle. “And you can feel the difference when it’s not. That’s why we have these ups and downs as a team.”
Following that loss to LA, the Wolves dropped to 5-8 in their previous 13 games. In that span, they had the NBA’s 21st-ranked offensive rating (113.4) and 15th-ranked defensive rating (114). Five of those eight losses were to teams under .500. Randle averaged 21.7 points in that stretch on 55.3% shooting from two-point range. However, some of his advanced metrics swooned. Our Andrew Dukowitz thinks that may have been because Randle’s name swirled in trade rumors.
GOOSEBUMPS.
41 PTS / 7 REB / +11 pic.twitter.com/lIzr7oQumq
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 12, 2026
Randle is averaging 22.3 points this season on 56.3% shooting from two-point range. He is also dishing out 5.4 assists per game, his highest average since the 2020-21 season, where he was an All-Star with the New York Knicks, made the All-NBA second team, and was the Most Improved Player of the Year.
This season, Randle has created 810 points off of assists, the fifth-most of any forward in the NBA. Of the four players that are ahead of him, three are All-Stars (Jalen Johnson with 1069 points created, Luka Dončić with 895 points created, and Deni Avdija with 827 points created).
Julius Randle has effectively been Minnesota’s starting point guard. He sets his teammates up with a slew of open three-pointers while also being a threat to take bigger defenders off the dribble or post up on smaller defenders and convert tough mid-range jumpers. Randle and Edwards have also balanced their individual offenses together much better than last season.
Add all of that up, and Randle has blossomed into a leader of this team while putting up All-Star-worthy numbers in the box score almost every night. And last week, the Wolves desperately needed that All-Star caliber player to lead them out of their rut.
Anthony Edwards + Julius Randle two-man game to create a wide open catch-and-shoot 3 for Ant pic.twitter.com/bFwM7NT8BZ
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) February 10, 2026
Minnesota played the Atlanta Hawks less than 30 hours after the loss to LA. Randle finished that game against Atlanta with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists on 8 of 14 shooting. He created 25 points off those ten assists while only committing one bad pass turnover, and the Wolves won 138-116. Randle orchestrated the offense with snappy passes and took what Atlanta’s defense gave him.
Then, on Wednesday against the Blazers, Randle dished out two assists, but he was looking to make a statement. Portland’s defense allowed him to do so by scoring 41 points in 33 minutes on 14 of 24 shooting and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.
It was an All-Star-level performance. It was a statement. The Wolves needed the focus, energy, execution, and greatness, and Randle delivered. Not just because he wanted to be at All-Star weekend, but more because he is already tuning up to the level that he and the whole team must be on after the All-Star break.
“It’s going to be a full-out sprint,” said Julius Randle. “Every game is going to mean something. And it’s fun, man. I think this is the part of the year that’s fun because it’s competitive and every game means something. You just really got to be locked in and focused.”
One loss on a cold night in December could be the difference in having home court advantage in the first round. Players sometimes have a hard time maintaining that perspective.
But after the All-Star break, as the weather warms up, the importance of every game becomes clear. Playoff positioning starts to solidify. A five-game losing streak in March could derail a team’s spot in the standings. And for the Wolves, they have 26 games left and the third-most difficult remaining schedule.
It’s a situation that Randle thrived in last season, where he came back from a groin injury in early March, averaged 18/7/5 on 52.3% shooting and 39.8% from deep over the final 21 games of the regular season, and led the Wolves to a 17-4 record.
Randle’s statement last week — especially how he capped off his 41-point performance — indicates that he is ready for the final sprint of the season. And he will be doing it with a chip on his shoulder. Not because he hurt himself on the windmill dunk, but because the NBA should have rewarded his efforts with an invitation to All-Star weekend.
“I feel like I should have been there,” said Julius Randle. “But over the course of my career, I’ve learned to focus on the things I can control. And I can’t control that. It is how it is. But I can control how I help my team win games night in and night out. We got a great team here. We can compete at the highest level. That’s what I’ll choose to direct my focus.
“I guess I can use that as a little motivation and fuel for the rest of the year.”