New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been out since late January with a dislocated shoulder after opting not to undergo surgery, a move intended to increase the likelihood he would be available for the playoffs. However, with the 2023-24 regular season ending in less than two weeks, he and the Knicks are working against the clock as much as they are around it. As a result, there’s been growing doubt about when he’ll be available, even from his teammates.
Latest Julius Randle Update Leaves More Questions than Answers
Making an effort to quell concerns about Randle’s injury, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has offered coy responses about his potential return date. Yet, his latest answer leads to more questions than answers.
“The thing for him is that he’s got to keep working every day until he gets to the point where he feels confident that he can take the contact that he’s accustomed to,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau says, per the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
“When you look at his game and the way he plays, you don’t want him to change his style of play. And I think that’s important. And so keep doing what you’re doing. You have to have a belief that it will turn. Which I do. Maybe it’s tomorrow. Maybe it’s the the day after. Who knows when it is?”
With that said, is the holdup for Randle physical, mental, or both?
New York’s Achilles Heel
A three-time All-Star and at the least, their best frontcourt player, the Knicks are 15-14 without Randle this season. To that point, though New York has triumphed without him in the lineup on several occasions, .500 teams don’t go on to win an NBA championship. The worst win-loss record of an NBA champion in Finals history belongs to the 1978 Washington Bullets, who were 44-38.
However, the Knicks are 29-17 with Randle this season. With him and teammate Jalen Brunson scoring a combined 51.8 points per game, they have a dynamic offensive duo and several complementary pieces beside them. Their Achilles heel is, ironically, injury.
In the case of Brunson and Randle though, their issues are less of a lack of durability than poor timing. For example, Brunson missed just 14 games last season but 10 of New York’s last 17 games ahead of the playoffs. Randle missed five games last season; the last five games. He then re-aggravated his end-of-season ankle injury in the first round of the playoffs, and it limited him in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks could still be concerned about where Randle is physically and how he holds up in the playoffs. What’s clear is that Randle is uneasy about returning to the court. Unfortunately for New York, it appears that it could take as much time for a player to regain their confidence after dislocating their shoulder as it does to heal it.
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