Shoulder injury ends season for Knicks' Randle
Julius Randle needs surgery on his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season, a crushing blow for a New York Knicks team that was surging before the all-star forward was hurt in January.
The Knicks said Thursday that Randle would be re-evaluated in five months, meaning it's unclear if he will even be ready for the start of next season.
Randle said it came after he met with multiple shoulder specialists who warned him of the danger he faced.
“One said I 100 per cent needed to get surgery. Another one said I'm at risk, but if I dislocated it again, I could damage it permanently,” Randle told Bleacher Report.
“I believe in this team and wanted to give it a try. It didn't work out, unfortunately. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it was my only option at this point. It wasn't getting right.”
The regular season ends next weekend and the playoffs begin April 20.
“Tough blow for us, but we've just got to focus on what we have in the locker-room and he'll be there to support us,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said.
Randle finishes this season with an average of 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was picked for his third all-star team days after his injury.
Randle sprained his ankle late in the 2022-23 regular season, but returned in time for the playoffs. He reinjured the ankle in the Knicks' clinching victory over Cleveland and missed Game 1 of their second-round loss to Miami.
He had surgery on the ankle in the off-season and came back strong this season. The rugged forward had been working hard again after his latest injury, but couldn't get to the point where the shoulder could safely stand up to the physicality he plays with.