On Monday morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provided an injury update on New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, stating that “indications are optimistic that his absence will be measured in weeks, not months”.
Julius Randle Injury
Randle suffered an apparent dislocated shoulder in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s showdown against the Miami Heat. With the Knicks leading by 17 points, Randle took a hard fall after colliding with Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Prior to his injury, Randle had 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists. New York went on to win the game 125-109. Knicks fans will be relieved to hear that their All-Star forward will miss weeks, and not months.
Julius Randle This Season
Randle endured a tough start to the season, struggling with his shot as the Knicks held an 11-6 record at the end of November. He only averaged 18.5 points on 36.4% field goal shooting.
His play began to show remarkable signs of improvement in December, and he has carried that into January as well.
In his last eighteen games, he upped his scoring to 26.2 points per game, shooting 51.2% from the field. During that stretch, the Knicks went 18-10.
New York is the hottest team in the league at the moment, riding a six game win streak. One of those wins included 122-84 beatdown of the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
Prior to his injury, Randle had been a strong candidate to be selected for the All-Star team again. The former Kentucky forward has two All-Star selections to his name, both coming with the Knicks in 2021 and 2023.
He is averaging 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and five assists on the year. The Knicks are now 29-17 and sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
How Knicks Can Handle Randle’s Injury
The Knicks have been rumored to be searching for more players, including the Toronto Raptors’ Bruce Brown. Prior to Toronto’s 100-126 loss to the Knicks, Brown was keen to let his desire to play in New York be known.
In an interview with the New York Post, the 2023 NBA champion said “I am a dog. I play extremely hard on both ends of the floor. I can do just about whatever [Thibodeau] needs me to do…I would think [I’m] the type of player that he likes.”
He also spoke about his admiration for Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“Every time we play Thibs I go up to him and shake his hand, just because of what he’s done…Nothing but respect for Thibs.”
New York’s Josh Hart also humorously weighed in on what he can do to help mitigate the loss of Randle.
Josh Hart on making up for Julius Randle’s absence: “I think it’s gonna be a collective (effort), unless between now and game time I can put on 45 pounds of mostly muscle.”
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 29, 2024
What’s Next
Thibodeau will have to find a way to replace Randle’s production as New York looks to head into the All-Star break on a strong note.
The Knicks have nine games until then, including a six-game homestand at Madison Square Garden.
It is by no means an easy stretch, as they will face the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, the Orlando Magic, and the Indiana Pacers.
