Julius Randle's ankle injury puts Knicks' playoff chances in peril

Now, Randle won't play until he's re-evaluated in two weeks - in the middle of the NBA's play-in tournament ends, and two days before the first round of the playoffs begins.

It's a tough blow for the Knicks and Randle, who rebounded from a disappointing 2021-22 season to return to the All-Star team and notch career highs in scoring and three-pointers. Meanwhile, the Knicks have turned it up in 2023, going 25-15 since the beginning of the calendar year.

Now they'll be without their All-Star forward for the rest of the season, and perhaps the first round as well, where they're likely to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There's no replacing Randle, who not only led the Knicks in minutes but was second in the entire league. The Knicks have a choice of playing small, using Josh Hart or replacing Randle big-for-big with Obi Toppin and/or Jericho Sims. Against Cleveland's imposing front line, there's no good answer.

Randle could heal in time. But usually, when a team promises to "re-evaluate" a player, that means they'll have a timeline for his recovery at that time, not that he's coming back. Even in the best-case scenario, the Knicks are looking at two playoff games without Randle. They've got a week and a half to figure out how to survive.