On December 4, 2021, less than two weeks ago, Anthony Randolph returned to play a game 351 days later. And on December 18, on the Olympiacos court, the power forward tore his Achilles tendon. After a journey of almost a year, Randolph stepped onto the court replacing Vukcevic with 2:57 left in the first quarter. A minute after being on the floor he had already scored his first basket, a trademark three-pointer off a pass from Adam Hanga, putting Madrid nine up (10-19). The Whites won the match against Zaragoza. And Randolph began his comeback.
The Achilles tendon operation delayed the return of the power forward, who is getting more and more minutes within Pablo Laso’s scheme. He missed El Clásico against Barcelona, in which Laso’s men were defeated at the Palau, but returned to the Euroleague against Alba Berlin. The Madrid player started the game under Chus Mateo, the assistant coach, with Pablo Laso testing positive, like Thomas Heurtel, for coronavirus. And things went fantastically for the American.
Randolph played for more than 21 minutes and scored 13 points with a great shooting performance. His shooting stats were good: 2 of 4 on 2-pointers, 1 of 4 on 3-pointers and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. In addition, Randolph grabbed 4 rebounds, gave 1 assist and turned the ball over only once. And he added a PIR of 15, only surpassed by a supreme Edy Tavares (17 points without a miss, 7 rebounds and a PIR of 25). A good calling card for Randolph, who has returned in good shape to the competition and will surely improve as the games go by.
Real Madrid is in great form despite the defeat against Barcelona in the Euroleague. It occupies first place in the Liga Endesa (12-1) ahead of their eternal rivals, and is keeping pace with Barça in the Euroleague, where they have a 12-3 record against Sarunas Jasikevicius’ 13-2. The next team in the standings, Armani Milan, has 5 losses. A good cushion for a team that is now recovering a piece that has been fundamental in Pablo Laso’s scheme and who is one of the most talented attacking players at the continental level. Anthony Randolph Returns: From Ordeal to Resurrection. And Madrid smiles, of course. No wonder.