It has been quite impressive how much of the 2023-24 NBA regular season the New York Knicks have been able to navigate without several key rotation players. Their entire starting frontcourt has been sidelined together for more than a quarter of the season, but New York has not let that stop them from looking like contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Updates are provided on a nearly daily basis as fans are patiently waiting for the Knicks’ stars to get back into the lineup. One of the players who has been sidelined is NBA All-Star, power forward Julius Randle.
Randle injured his shoulder on January 27th against the Miami Heat and we haven’t seen him back on the court since. He separated his shoulder when Jaime Jaquez Jr. attempted to take a charge and Randle toppled over him.
Before games, we can see Randle working hard, trying to get back in game shape and ramp up his activity. However, his comeback has seemed to stall out of a little bit. As shared by Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Randle “is doing more and feeling better,” but he has yet to be cleared for that next step, which is full contact.
The only contact that Randle has endured his controlled contact during practice. He has yet to be cleared to take part in full contact, which has been the case for a few weeks now. Until he can get clearance for that, his return to the court is up in the air.
The Knicks are going to take a cautious approach with their star forward, as they do not want him to return too early and re-injure his shoulder. Randle did not undergo surgery, but that option was not taken off the table depending on how his rehab went.
For now, the team and their fans will have to continue exhibiting patience. But, with every day that goes by without an update about his rehab moving forward, it becomes less likely that we will see Randle back on the court ahead of the NBA Playoffs, if at all.
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