When Will Julius Randle Return From Ankle Injury For New York Knicks?

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle is expected to return from an ankle sprain at some point in the team's first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The New York Knicks are preparing for a first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they are doing so without All-Star Julius Randle. 

Suffering an ankle sprain at the end of March, Randle has missed the last five games for the Knicks and will likely miss the start of their playoff series against Cleveland.

On Wednesday, SNY's Ian Begley reported that Randle didn't practice in full, but he did note that the All-Star was able to do some light practice work. 

"He did some [work in practice]. Making steady progress. Taking it day-to-day,” head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters recently. “He’s doing some running, shooting, scripting, that sort of thing... So when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. But steady progress. Each day a little bit better."

With Julius Randle out, Jalen Brunson has led the charge offensively for the Knicks to close out the regular season and third-year forward Obi Toppin has stepped up in the starting rotation. 

In the team's final five regular season games, Toppin averaged 21.8 points per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from three-point range. 

Whether or not Toppin figures to be a part of the Knicks' playoff rotation is yet to be known, but he will likely start should Randle be unable to go. 

As of right now, it looks unlikely that Randle will be able to get on the floor for Game 1 against the Cavaliers on Saturday. However, he could be ready to return as early as Tuesday, April 18 for Game 2 depending on how he progresses in practice over the next few days. 

New York has not yet ruled Julius Randle out for Game 1 on Saturday, nor have they said that he will be available. 

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