Surging Knicks Hold Their Breath After Julius Randle Injury
The New York Knicks need a handle on the Randle situation.
New York's latest addition to an active six-game winning streak proved bittersweet: as the Knicks put finishing touches on a 125-109 victory over the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, two-time All-Star Julius Randle landed awkwardly at the end of a drive on Jaime Jaquez Jr. Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Randle endured a dislocated shoulder and underwent an MRI on Saturday night.
Seeing Randle, well-known for eschewing the concept of load management, immediately set a course for the Knicks locker room cast a pall over what should've been another landmark victory.
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“You knew for him to (go to the locker room), he’s a guy who plays through things, and that’s what you love about him. He’s a warrior,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said in the aftermath, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Any time someone walks back, you know it’s something."
“It was an ‘oh s–t’ reaction,” added point guard Jalen Brunson, per Peter Sblendorio of the New York Dailey News. “You don’t want to see that from anybody, especially with the way he’s been playing. He means a lot to us, so for him to go back there, obviously it’s not ideal. Once we figure out what’s wrong, we’ll go from there.”
With Saturday's win, New York (29-17) disposed of the team that eliminated them in last spring's Easter Conference quarterfinal and now sits a season-best 12 games over .500. Now, they're forced to hold their breath amidst one of the most fruitful stretches of play in recent memory until a new diagnosis emerges.
While Randle has garnered a polarizing reputation as the Knicks' headliner, there's no denying his impact. A slow start to open the 2023-24 season, his fifth as a Knick, lies mostly forgotten as his return to All-Star form was one of the many reasons why New York has posted the NBA's best record in the new calendar year (12-2 after Saturday).
Even if the Knicks avoided a major medical catastrophe (Wojnarowski reported that initial x-rays "didn't show much damage"), the idea of Randle being sidelined in any form is a dangerous prospect with Obi Toppin no longer in play. Toppin, who serviceably subbed for Randle while he worked off a late ankle injury, was traded to the Indiana Pacers over the summer and the Knicks didn't do too much to shore up power forward depth.
If Randle is forced to miss time, that could put Josh Hart back in the starting five while Precious Achiuwa could emerge as another depth star. The latter has hauled in 40 rebounds over the past four games while spelling Isaiah Hartenstein, who returned to action on Saturday after a two-game departure for his own ankle injury.
As they bide their time on a Randle update, the Knicks now prepare for a Monday night visit to Charlotte to battle the woebegone Hornets (7 p.m. ET, MSG).
