The New York Knicks have been the best team in the NBA since the calendar turned to 2024. They have gone 12-2 in January, which is their most victories in a single month since March of 2013, when they also won 12 games.
However, keeping up that level of success is going to be challenging. That is because star power forward Julius Randle suffered a potentially serious shoulder injury while playing against the Miami Heat over the weekend.
While driving to the basket and going up for a layup, Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Heat slid under him attempting to take a charge. Trying to brace himself for the fall, Randle put his right arm down and suffered a painful injury.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Julius Randle & New York Knicks Updates
Randle was seen immediately favoring his right shoulder/pectoral area and went right to the locker room. There were some worries that Randle could be sidelined for the remainder of the 2023-24 NBA season depending on the severity of the injury.
While the X-rays came back clean, it was the MRI that would tell the entire story. Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post spoke to two surgeons who provided potential timelines for Randle to get back on the court, via KnicksMuse on X.
“The best-case scenario for Randle would be a two- or three-week absence, and the worst case would be surgery that likely would end his season.”
While Randle will certainly be sidelined for a few weeks, it does sound as if he avoided any significant damage to his right shoulder. According to NBA inside Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Randle will miss a few weeks because of the shoulder separation, a sigh of relief given how bad this injury could have been.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Julius Randle & New York Knicks Updates
A 3-to-4-week timetable is a realistic one for Randle to get back on the court with no serious damage done. Randle has already been ruled out for the Knicks game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night and will likely miss at least the next 10 games.
Even with the positive diagnosis, we likely won’t see Randle back on the court until after the All-Star break. The Knicks’ first game post-All-Star break is on February 22nd against the Philadelphia 76ers. That seems like a realistic return date to target based on the information that has been shared. A return on February 22nd would mean Randle missed nine games and had nearly four weeks of rehab and recovery.
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