Julius Randle still 'strengthening shoulder' ahead of debut with Timberwolves

Randle is expected to make his preseason debut with Minnesota next week.

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, one of the main pieces Minnesota landed in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the Knicks, is in the final stages of recovery from a shoulder injury, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Randle is expected to make his Wolves preseason debut at some point next week, which indicates he won't play against his old team at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

"I'm told that Julius Randle is not expected to make his Minnesota Timberwolves preseason unofficial debut (on Friday), but the hope and likelihood is that Randle will be debuting at some point next week," Charania said on NBA Today. "The Timberwolves have two preseason games (next week) before the regular season gets underway."

After facing the 79ers in Iowa on Friday night and the Knicks on Sunday, the Wolves play the Bulls in Chicago next Wednesday and the Nuggets in Minneapolis the following night. They'll presumably hope to get Randle a bit of run in one of those games next week to let him shake off a bit of rust before the regular season opener in Los Angeles on Tuesday the 22nd.

According to Charania, Randle has been focused on strengthening his shoulder during Wolves training camp.

"The last week or so of Julius Randle's training camp has been about strengthening that shoulder and making sure, from an organization perspective and Julius Randle himself, that he feels right, he feels 100 percent as far as his wind, as far as his conditioning, before he steps foot on that floor," he said. "But he has been working out, he's been putting in work today, yesterday, and he's been fitting in well by all accounts."

Randle, 29, is a two-time All-NBA selection and three-time All-Star who averaged 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game over the last five seasons in New York. He'll start at the four for the Wolves this season and will be a big part of their offense as they adjust to life without Towns.

"The hope and likelihood is that [Julius] Randle will be debuting at some point next week." 👀

—@ShamsCharania on Julius Randle's training camp and status with the Wolves ✍️ pic.twitter.com/eaxjgJ8agT

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 11, 2024