Julius Randle credits Derrick Rose mentorship for helping him become New York Knicks leader

Derrick Rose knows exactly what it is like being Tom Thibodeau's go-to guy from their time in Chicago – and now Julius Randle is finding out what it is like having that same role in New York.

Randle has emerged as the New York Knicks' leader under Thibodeau and is averaging a double-double of 19.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists through the season so far.

It follows on from his gigantic leap last season where he transformed into an All Star, winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award in Thibodeau's first season in charge, with averages of 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists as he carried New York back to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Rose, who now plays as the Knicks' sixth man, knows better than anyone alive the impact Thibodeau can have in his first season with a team. Thibodeau's first year at the Chicago Bulls, in the 2010-11 season, saw Rose become the youngest MVP in league history at 22 years and six months old, becoming only the second Bull other than Michael Jordan to be given the honour.

With that in mind and driven by a desperate desire to continuously improve, in order to fully embrace his role as the leader for a Knicks franchise which is no longer the butt of many of the league's jokes, Randle has sought out the experience of Rose specifically to ensure he can unlock his fullest leadership potential.

Three straight home losses in Madison Square Garden last month saw Randle recognise that something needed to change so he turned to Rose, a player who despite his mesmerising talent similarly struggled to assert himself as a leader in his younger days with his hometown team in Chicago.

For a while, he remained somewhat passive in that regard, despite his greatness. And then something clicked. Randle hopes it can be the same for him.

Randle said: "I had a long talk with Derrick (Rose) because I'm an introverted person too.

"I'm [the type to] lead by example, my actions and stuff like that, and he's telling me how it took him a long time to figure it out."

Over a decade on from winning MVP honours, Rose is now a veteran in the league and although not the MVP-calibre player of old he is a vital cog for this Knicks team, and has bounced back from a litany of injuries to become so.

His craftiness around the basket is still very appetising on the eye and clearly his words have had the right effect on Randle.

Publicly, about a month ago, Rose had a word. It was noticeable during a stretch of games early in the season that Randle was still very much focused on isolation plays despite the Knicks adding depth around him this season to try and help him. Indeed, it was the fact that Randle was the nexus of the offense that allowed the Hawks to zero in on him in last season's Eastern Conference series defeat. By stopping him, they stopped the Knicks.

Rose knows that gig. He has previously been the man who was expected to do a little bit of everything, during his time in Chicago, so he speaks from a place of experience.

He said: "I played where I had to do everything: bring the ball up, set up the offense, score the ball... and, if it was up to me, I wouldn't want to do all that. But I was kind of forced to do it, so I had to figure it out.

"[Randle], he's a great guy, and he's all about figuring things out. So it's about just letting him learn and letting him adjust [to the] new starters. I feel like if he just goes out there and plays his game everything is going to be good. We know that we've got more scoring on the team [than last season].

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"He's got to find ways to get lost. Right now, they're double-teaming from different spots on the court. Being that number-one option you want that opportunity to get lost in the offense.

"Teams, the way they're sticking Julius (Randle), we've got to find ways to get him open looks. Getting out on the break and pushing the ball can be a simple way of doing that."

But it is not just about the team functioning in a way that it allows him to play his best game, and Randle working out how best to maximise it – it is also about the player's character to embrace a leadership role.

More recently, rather than relying on the coach to set the tone or some of New York's more experienced players, including Thibodeau stalwarts Rose and Taj Gibson, it has been Randle more often than not doing the talking or who has been huddling the team and corralling them on the court.

His individual play has always helped to raise the team but now his leadership abilities are coming to the fore as well. And coach Thibodeau can see that.

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"I want him to be vocal," Thibodeau said. "I want everyone to use their voice. That's a big part of leadership. But I also want them backing it up with their actions, and actions will always reflect one's priorities. And so, when they're doing the right things, good things are going to happen."

But none of it comes as a surprise to the coach. In his initial meetings and workouts with the team, Randle showed himself to be someone Thibodeau, last season's NBA Coach of the Year, knew he could rely on and build around.

Thibodeau told ESPN: "When I first got hired I asked him to come in so we could spend some time, just to get to know each other. And when he came in – you never know the type of shape someone's in, I had an impression of him from coaching against him. I knew he was talented and all those things, but you don't know who the person is – and when I saw, he was in incredible shape. So I was working him out myself and I saw his work capacity.

"You could see how highly motivated he was. And then when we had our short bubble, just his willingness to come in and work and lead and I could see how hungry he was. I felt like this was the guy that could help set the tone for us. And then he improved in every facet of the game. It's his passing – we always knew he had the ability to drive the ball, to post-up – [and] then adding the three-point shot.

"And the willingness to work and sacrifice for the team – he's the first guy in, he'll stay late, he comes in every night, all those things. So everything that you would want from a leader and your best player – he's done that. He's got an unbelievable work ethic, he's a team-first guy, he wants to win, so he's earned everything that he's gotten."

Thibodeau makes no secrets that he sees Randle as the leader of the team and although often seen as a hard taskmaster, the Knicks coach is an investor in people.

Rose – who alongside Gibson has played under Thibodeau for three organisations, including the Minnesota Timberwolves in between the stints with the Bulls and the Knicks – knows well just the kind of character his primary coaching mentor is.

"Sometimes, Thibs will make you feel like he wants to win more than you," Rose said.

Asked what the thought the basis of their strong partnership as coach and player was, he said: "The only thing I can think of is trust.

"He knows how hard I fought to get back. He knows I'm a gym rat. He knows I'm a student of the game. He knows where my heart is at, and it's vice versa. I know how much work he puts into his craft. I know how he preps before the game, and you're seeing the results of it."

No doubt Thibodeau has restored some pride in the Knicks as an organisation. In terms of tangible impact on individuals, Randle has been the primary beneficiary and rose knows exactly how far that trust he speaks of can help take you.

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But team-mates, a believing coach, a system which maximises your abilities and your own talent can only take you so far, a lot of the work is up to the player to ensure they unlock their fullest potential. And in Randle's case, that means becoming a dominant influence in the world's greatest basketball league.

For the 27-year-old, a key moment in his continued evolution came in the defeat by the Cleveland Cavaliers a few weeks back when he was badly outplayed by precociously talented rookie Evan Mobley. Mobley scored a career-high 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting, whilst Randle was a team-worst minus-32 in the plus-minus and only managed 19 points from 17 shot attempts in the Knicks defeat.

After that, and even prior to approaching Rose for their chat, the former Los Angeles Laker took responsibility publicly, telling reporters: "I'll take accountability. I've got to be better. As the leader of the team, I'll be better. I gotta talk more. Play with more energy."

And since then, Randle has taken every step possible to try and ensure that he embodies leadership with his behaviour and his actions to motivate and galvanise his team-mates, as well as continuing to showcase and develop his own individual repertoire as a player.

The player himself can see how far he has come in that regard and recognises that with the Knicks have anointed him as their leader, it's his job to go and deliver on that – in every single sense of the word.

"It's just getting out of your comfort zone, growing as a person, as a leader," Randle said.

"It was kind of funny and cool to see who I was as a player and as a person coming into the league and year eight who I am now. Just being comfortable being uncomfortable, getting outside of my comfort zone, talking, and telling my teammates what I see and asking them what I see.

"The next step for me is just being a little bit more vocal with my teammates, talking, and making sure we're staying together and telling each other what we see out there.

"It's just really about communication. A lot of [undesirable] things out there defensively or in the game period, we can eliminate if we communicate."