The New York Knicks have suffered a major blow to their postseason aspirations. Three-time New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle is set to have surgery on his dislocated right shoulder, which will conclude his season for good, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The 6-foot-8 Kentucky product first hurt his shoulder on January 27. Wojnarowski indicates that he had been working to recover in the intervening months, hoping to avoid surgery if at all possible. Ultimately, attendant doctors had to step in, telling him that he could risk further, permanent trouble if he did suit up again this year. Sources inform Wojnarowski that Randle should be back in time for the beginning of 2024-25. He will be reassessed in September.
As Wojnarowski notes, New York had gone 12-2 in its games where Randle and small forward OG Anunoby had both played. They also sported the best defense in the league during those games. Randle may not be considered a great defender, but he seemed to buy into head coach Tom Thibodeau’s system approach pretty effectively. Anunoby has been shelved indefinitely after suffering a setback in his recovery from an elbow surgery.
This will be the second straight season that the 29-year-old has suffered a major late injury. He hurt his ankle 77 games into his 2022-23 campaign and would undergo a season-ending 2023 offseason surgery.
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This year, the two-time All-NBA honoree will wrap up his 2023-24 NBA season, his tenth in the league, having averaged 24 points on a .472/.311.781 slash line, 9.2 rebounds, five assists, and 0.5 steals a night.
At 44-31, New York is currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. With Randle and Anunoby absent, Thibodeau has been starting wings Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo in their stead. Both players are 6-foot-4, and very solid, but they, along with 6-foot-2 shooting guard Miles McBride and 6-foot-2 All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, have effectively made the team’s starting lineup around center Isaiah Hartenstein, a seven-footer.
Thibodeau has taller bench pieces he could explore in his starting lineup for taller East playoff matchups (specifically the Boston Celtics), but it seems he’s prioritizing passing and shooting, combined with defensive versatility via Hart and DiVincenzo, over height.
Without their second-best player for the duration of the 2024 postseason, the Knicks will have their work cut out for them to get out of the conference. The team, losers of three straight games, would face the fourth-seeded Orlando Magic (currently 45-31) if the playoffs started today.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.