New York Knicks forward Julius Randle will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. The team announced on Thursday. He will be re-evaluated in five months.
Randle dislocated his shoulder and has been sidelined by the Knicks since January 27th. He has spent the past two-plus months rehabbing in an attempt to avoid surgery and return to the playoffs, but doctors believe the instability in his shoulder is too great to risk permanent damage and he will not be able to return this season. He warned him that he could not play.
Before leaving the Knicks' lineup, Randle, 29, was averaging 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists per game.
At the time of Randle's injury, the Knicks were in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-17 record. New York, which lost to the Miami Heat on Tuesday for its third straight loss, is in fifth place with a 15-14 record without Randle. The gap between them and the first-place Boston Celtics has gone from six games to 16 games, and Boston has a record of 24 wins and 5 losses over the same period.
Randle, a three-time NBA All-Star, is expected to be ready by the start of the 2024-25 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. If he undergoes surgery now, he will have enough recovery time to aim to return on opening night.
The Knicks are aiming for their third postseason appearance in four years under head coach Tom Thibodeau. They currently have seven games left in the regular season and a play-in game berth on the horizon.
After acquiring OG Anunoby in December, the Knicks were hoping to become an impact force in the Eastern Conference. They went 12-2 with Anunoby and Randle in the lineup, posting NBA-leading defensive numbers over that span.
But Anunoby has played in just three games since the night Randle dislocated his shoulder and has been dealing with injury issues of his own. Anunoby is suffering from what the Knicks call “right elbow tendinopathy,” and there is no timetable for his return.
