Julius Randle's season-ending injury really takes the wind out of Knicks' sails ahead of NBA playoffs
Knicks injured forward Julius Randle (30) watches from the bench during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden in on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Credit: Brad Penner
Naturally, the Knicks responded to their latest dose of bad news by grinding out a come-from-behind 120-109 victory over the Kings on Thursday night.
This is what they do. And it is the sort of thing that has made them the most likable Knicks team in years, if not this millennium.
Fans at Madison Square Garden got their money’s worth, the Knicks moved three games clear of the play-in tournament with six to play, and all was well for the moment.
All due credit to everyone involved, especially Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, who totaled 66 points on a night where the Knicks had 34 assists on 44 field goals.
The pity is that these sorts of dramatics still likely will not be enough to fashion a deep playoff run for a team that deserves a real chance at one.
The latest blow to that goal was the unsurprising but deflating news that Julius Randle, out since Jan. 27 with a right shoulder injury, now is out until next season.
The burly forward will need surgery after an unsuccessful effort to get back onto the court.
This being the Knicks, and this being about an injury, there was a plot twist, too.
Bleacher Report spoke to Randle before the game, and he revealed that about five weeks ago he reinjured his shoulder during a full-contact practice session.
“My [expletive] wasn’t stable,” he said. “I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and it’s been an uphill battle ever since.
“Choosing to get surgery was my only option at this point. It’s frustrating, but I’m at peace knowing I tried everything.”
Randle’s account of his practice journey seemed to differ from what the Knicks have relayed to reporters over weeks.
Later, the Knicks sought to clarify the “full contact” aspect by saying that he was facing coaches using pads in practice, and thus was not full-go.
But none of that changed the bottom line, which is that he is gone.
All is not lost yet, assuming OG Anunoby gets back from his elbow injury soon. The Knicks are being extra careful with him in the hope he can return for good this time.
Thursday’s comeback from a 21-point second-quarter deficit was Brunson & Co.’s latest attempt to hold the fort until then, ending a three-game losing streak.
It’s impressive, but again, it’s also a shame, given what might have been.
Once, fans could dream of a 1994 replay in which the Rangers and Knicks might keep the Garden hopping deep into June.
Now, the Knicks are one of a gaggle of teams behind the Celtics, any one of which might get them in the conference finals and none of which seems capable of beating them there.
The Knicks next face a four-game road swing at Chicago, then Milwaukee, then Chicago again, then Boston. Not easy.
They started the calendar year 15-2, coinciding with Anunoby’s arrival in a trade with Toronto. That seems like a long time ago now.
Randle was lost toward the end of that January run. The Knicks have had to battle for everything they have gotten since then.
“Just as competitors, as hoopers, you never want your season to end on an injury,” Hart said of Randle. “It’s tough. It’s frustrating for him . . . He was playing great, in a great rhythm. So it definitely was just unfortunate.”
Said Isaiah Hartenstein: “I think a lot of players in the league would’ve probably just given up right away and say, ‘I’m getting the surgery.’ But he kind of saw how we were as a team. He wanted to come back. He wanted to be there for us.”
Randle confirmed that.
“I believe in this team and wanted to give it a try,” he told Bleacher Report. “It didn’t work out, unfortunately. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it was my only option at this point. It wasn’t getting right.”
It is difficult to imagine the tiring Knicks making a postseason run through May, but it is difficult to put anything past them. They certainly looked spry against the Kings.
But it all could have been so much easier with a little better luck.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
