It's been 68 days since Julius Randle suited up for the New York Knicks. The All-Star forward dislocated his shoulder against the Heat on Jan. 27 and has been out since. There are 10 days left in the regular season, and Randle still hasn't been cleared for contact.
Ahead of Tuesday's game against Miami, Tom Thibodeau was asked about Randle's status.
Tom Thibodeau was most expansive yet on the hurdle Julius Randle needs to clear before playing again:
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 2, 2024
"The thing for him is that he’s got to keep working every day until he gets to the point where he feels confident that he can take the contact that he’s accustomed to. When you…
SNY's Ian Begley discussed Randle's injury with Brian Windhorst and Jonathan Macri on The Putback. Begley revealed that some people believe that if he had undergone surgery after the injury happened, he would either be back by now or set to return soon.
"There are some people that felt way back that [Julius Randle] should've had surgery right when it happened, and then maybe he's back at this point"
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 3, 2024
Ian, @WindhorstESPN, and @JCMacriNBA talk Julius Randle's shoulder injury on The Putback with @IanBegley: https://t.co/uOPPGRncR7 pic.twitter.com/tVDyYWp8GC
If Randle were to return, he might still have to undergo surgery over the offseason. Last summer, he had surgery on his ankle, which understandably resulted in a slow start to the season.
Begley said there's concern about Randle's status, as there should be. Hopefully, he'll be able to play again, but it's not looking good. Hopefully, Knicks fans are in for a pleasant surprise.
Regarding injuries, Josh Hart is listed as questionable with a right wrist sprain ahead of Thursday's game against Sacramento.
Josh Hart is now questionable with a right wrist sprain. It was something that was bothering him even before the game last night (he was icing it at the morning shootaround).
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 3, 2024
Hart's averaging 40.7 minutes per game in the last 30 contests, so a night off wouldn't be a bad idea.
More Knicks news
- On Tuesday, Rajon Rondo announced his retirement from the NBA. He recently praised Jalen Brunson and called the Knicks guard "underrated."
- Alec Burks switched his representation from Octagon to Klutch Sports. The 32-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
NBA news
- Steve Clifford will step down as Hornets head coach at the end of the season to move into a front office role. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Charlotte is expected to consider Sacramento's Jordi Fernandez, Phoenix's Kevin Young, Boston's Charles Lee, and Miami's Chris Quinn for its head coach vacancy.
- Stockton Kings head coach Lindsay King is the 2023-24 NBA G League Coach of the Year. King is the first Black woman to receive the honor. She was also named the NBA G League Coach of the Month for March.