When Will Julius Randle Return for Knicks? What We Know About Star’s Injury

The New York Knicks still aren’t at full strength.

Starters Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson remain out for New York’s 7 p.m. ET Sunday matchup on ESPN against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks confirmed on their injury report, and timelines for their returns after extended leaves remain largely unclear.

Anunoby is dealing with a right elbow ailment, while Robinson continues to recover from December ankle surgery, which there is now hope he can bounce back from by the end of the regular season. And that’s before mentioning games missed by Isaiah Hartenstein, Jalen Brunson and just about every contributor on Tom Thibodeau’s team as of late. But Randle’s absence is undoubtedly being felt the most in New York as the Knicks drop down the Eastern Conference standings.

The three-time All-Star forward has not played since dislocating his right shoulder in late January, and since then the once-stout Knicks have fallen to fourth place in the East, with play-in territory rapidly approaching. So, when could Randle be back?

Here’s what we know about the situation.

What Happened to Randle?

Randle drove to the basket in the final minutes of a January 27 game against the Miami Heat when Jaime Jaquez Jr. shifted over defensively with the intention of possibly drawing a charging foul. The Knicks star hit the court awkwardly after the collision, then stayed down on the Madison Square Garden floor in clear discomfort before teammates helped him up—using only his left hand.

The hunched-over 29-year-old grimaced and grabbed at his shoulder while making his way to the bench. Per ESPN, Knicks head trainer Anthony Goenaga appeared to attempt to pop Randle’s shoulder back into the socket before leading the 10th-year pro to the locker room.

New York confirmed on February 1 that Randle had dislocated his shoulder, and said he would be reevaluated again in two or three weeks.

When Will Randle Return to the Court?

In his first public comments since sustaining the injury, Randle said on February 21 that he planned to return from his dislocated right shoulder on April 1. Or maybe not. The All-Star flashed a smile to the crowd gathered at his press conference before letting them know that his answer was nothing more than a premature April Fool’s gag.

“Nah, just kidding,” Randle said. “Gotcha early.”

Once the jokes were over, the lighthearted 6-foot-8, 250-pounder offered some insights on his road to recovery. Randle mentioned no serious return date he was targeting, and could not rule out the possibility of a season-ending (or perhaps delayed to summer) surgery.

The former No. 7 overall pick has heard “many different opinions” about whether surgery is inevitable, though remains optimistic that he’ll return before the regular season’s end in April.

“There’s still necessary steps,” Randle told reporters in late February at New York’s practice facility. “There’s a process to everything. I have to weigh out everything, ultimately, and decide from there. But right now, I’m just focused on trying to avoid [surgery], obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can.”

Randle admitted that he knew his injury was serious as soon as it happened. Over a month later, he has yet to be publicly cleared for contact or practice. At that same press conference, Randle said he felt “stronger” and was progressing toward a return, though stressed caution to prevent coming back too soon and risk reaggravating the shoulder. A TNT report from New York’s Thursday night loss to the Golden State Warriors indicated that the Knicks expect to have Randle, Robinson and Anunoby back by the end of March. The Athletic also reported this weekend that the team is hopeful Randle will return before the playoffs.

Thibodeau said in late February that Randle is working out multiple times a day and that “things are good right now” for a return to the court.

“We’re just taking it step-by-step,” the coach told reporters on February 21. “I think it’s premature to say anything until you have all the information. Right now, he’s preparing to come back to play. He’s putting a lot into it—he looks good, got a great spirit about him.”

Randle’s Stats This Season

Before the shoulder injury interrupted an All-Star campaign, Randle was averaging 24 points (47.2 percent shooting from the floor), 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. And to say the Knicks are missing that production may be underselling things. New York went 14-2 in January, peaking as high as third in the East. Now, going into Sunday night, the Knicks (35-25) are attempting to retain a spot in the top four.

New York, without Randle among others, lost eight of its 12 February games and head into the Cavs contest having lost two in a row. Only 1.5 games separates the fourth-seeded Knicks from the No. 8 seed Indiana Pacers. Plenty of teams in the Eastern Conference’s tight middle-of-the-pack are seeking to get out of seed Nos. 7-10 and the play-in tournament. Finally getting Randle back in the next few weeks would certainly help New York in that pursuit. But until that potentially happens, it’s up to the Knicks to keep hanging on for their playoff life.