ON THE GRIND
From the sound of it, Julius Randle is in uncharted territory, at least in terms of his Knicks’ career.
He is coming off arthroscopic left ankle surgery, creating a degree of uncertainty for him, even if the two-time All-Star is technically healthy.
“This is definitely different,” Randle said Monday. “It was a different offseason, for sure, for me from a physical standpoint. And it will be a different training camp, for sure.”
Randle initially hurt the ankle late in the regular season and reinjured it in the playoffs. He played through the pain and had it operated upon after the Knicks were eliminated in six games by the Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Randle spent large portions of the offseason pouring over game film, looking for ways to improve without working out, since the ankle rehab limited what he could do.
“I think, for me, physically is going to be the last thing that will come,” he said. “Just getting my body back used to the wear and tear of the NBA season.”
Randle is very much a controversial figure among Knicks fans. He’s reached a pair of All-Star Games as a Knick and has helped them reach the playoffs twice. But his postseason performances have been iffy, with the physical forward averaging 17.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.9 turnovers while shooting 34.4 percent from the field. But the Knicks need him to be at his durable best, particularly after shipping out Obi Toppin to the Pacers via an offseason trade. There are no other options at power forward.
“Look, it’s hard to be All-NBA two out of the last three years like what he’s done, so he’s gotten a lot better,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Last year at the end of the playoffs, he was nicked up pretty good. We all saw the Miami series. He had some really good games. And then he’s doing it on, you know, a sore ankle. So, just keep growing.”
At age 28, Randle is the oldest player expected to be in Thibodeau’s rotation. He’s also the team’s only All-Star and is being counted on to perform as he has in his strong second and fourth seasons as a Knick, not the underwhelming first or third.
“I’m heading into my 10th year, which is crazy,” Randle said. “Every year is a different challenge. This is like no other year. It’s a different challenge, but it’s very exciting.”