Knicks’ playoff decision to let injured Julius Randle play not looking wise

Julius Randle hasn’t exactly looked like himself since the start of the playoffs for the New York Knicks, but Game 4 was his worst outing yet. He scored only seven points (3-of-10 from the field, 0-of-4 from three) to go with two rebounds, one assist, and one turnover in 27 minutes.

Not only was he struggling on the offensive end, but on defense, he was completely disengaged. The Cavaliers stormed back at the start of the third quarter after being down by nine at the half, and part of that was because of Randle’s nonchalance. Many fans began to call for Tom Thibodeau to bench Randle and in the fourth quarter, that’s just what the head coach did.

For Thibodeau to not play Randle at all in the fourth quarter of a playoff game and keep Obi Toppin on the floor instead speaks volumes. After the game, Thibodeau made it obvious that the sprained left ankle that Randle suffered at the end of the regular season was still affecting the forward. The media didn’t get to ask Randle about it, though, as he left MSG without speaking to reporters.

Should Knicks consider sitting Julius Randle for Game 5 playoffs?

After saying that a lot of other players “probably wouldn’t even be playing” if they were in Julius Randle’s position, Tom Thibodeau added:

"“He was out an extended amount of time. So we got multiple days here before the next game, he’ll get a chance to get some recovery time — I think that’s a big part of it. But the thing I love about him is he gives you everything he has. To come back the way he did, to be ready for Game 1, credit to him. And we need him, he’s our horse.”"

According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, Thibodeau didn’t go into detail about Randle’s ankle injury, so it’s unknown just how much it’s holding him back. After Game 1, Randle said that he was “tired as hell.” Then when Randle took a hard fall in Game 2 after being in the game late while the Knicks were down 20+ points, he said that he was fine because his kids have beaten him up worse. He added that he was having “the most fun” of his career.

However, with Game 5 looming on Wednesday, should New York consider giving Randle the night off? With a nagging ankle injury and the Knicks having a chance to win the series, that might be for the best, especially if the Randle that takes the floor will look anything like Game 4 Randle. He was actively hurting the Knicks on Sunday, which is why he didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter.

It’s one thing to not be a full 100 percent but want to play in the playoffs, but it’s another to continue to play when clearly the injury is still affecting you. At this point, maybe it’s best to hope for the version of Julius Randle that the Knicks need to show up in the second round.

Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau makes smartest coaching decision of his life

New York Knicks fans had to see it to believe it, but Tom Thibodeau benched one of the team's starters for the entire fourth quarter.