New York Knicks' Julius Randle Still Building Up From Ankle Injury

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle is still recovering from his ankle injury and says it would be "naive" to expect him to be at full strength from the get-go.

New York Knicks big man Julius Randle has struggled offensively to start the 2023-24 NBA season and it's become particularly glaring in light of the team's offensive struggles. 

Entering this week, the Knicks (4-4) were the only team shooting less than 40 percent from the floor and were dead last in scoring before consecutive interconference wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs. Through the first six, Randle hit just over 27 percent from the field, last in the Association among those with at least five starts.

The two-time All-Star addressed his early woes in a report from Fred Katz of The Athletic, blaming lingering side effects from an offseason ankle surgery. 

Randle (30) shoots during Wednesday's win over San Antonio / Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS

"I had surgery four and a half months ago, and it's a lower-extremity surgery, so to think that I would come into this season and just be Julius off the bat is kind of naive," Randle said. "I knew from the beginning it was going to be a process. It's a gradual buildup. I'm starting to get better, but's a gradual buildup."

"I'm just thankful for guys like RJ (Barrett), guys like Jalen (Brunson), they've been able to carry the load while I get back and get healthy and start to get better."

Randle, who turns 29 later this month, underwent offseason surgery after an ankle injury kept him out of the final five games of last regular season. He returned for most of the Knicks' 11-game playoff run but clearly wasn't the same, as his scoring average was down nearly nine full points from his second All-Star campaign. 

Signs of the old Randle began to emerge this week, as he had a combined 50 points (17-of-40 from the field) and 26 rebounds in the wins over Los Angeles and San Antonio. Earlier this week, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that the Knicks tried to sit their franchise face, but Randle, who has never embraced the concept of load management, wouldn't allow it. 

Even with this week's success, the Knicks are still the worst shooting team in the NBA at 41.5 percent. They'll look to raise that number on Sunday afternoon when they close a three-game homestand against the Charlotte Hornets (12 p.m. ET, MSG).