The biggest news around the NBA this week came from the New York Knicks. They announced on Thursday, hours before their game against the Sacramento Kings, that All-Star power forward Julius Randle would be undergoing surgery on his shoulder and was to miss the remainder of the season.
He suffered a shoulder separation on January 27th against the Miami Heat when Jamie Jaquez Jr. attempted to take a charge late and slid underneath him, causing him to fall hard to the ground. It is a huge blow for New York, as Randle was working incredibly hard in an attempt to get back on the court.
The decision to undergo surgery became abundantly clear in recent weeks. During a phone interview with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Randle revealed that he had a setback five weeks ago during practice when he was ramping up his activity and attempting to take contact in practice with pads.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Julius Randle, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
“I want everyone to know that I did everything in my power to get back this season,” Randle told B/R in an interview over the phone. “That was my intention, to be playing right now. That’s why I didn’t opt for surgery when it happened. But what caused me to finally go through with getting surgery was about five weeks ago, I went through a full-contact session in pads and re-injured my shoulder. My s–t wasn’t stable. I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and It’s been an uphill battle ever since.
“Choosing to get surgery was my only option at this point. It’s frustrating, but I’m at peace knowing I tried everything.”
Randle did add that he expects to be fully healthy for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, which is good news for the Knicks. However, his injury will leave a lot of people asking what if, as New York was the best team in the league with him and OG Anunoby healthy in the lineup.
Alas, injuries happen and for Randle, undergoing surgery is the best option. There were concerns that had he attempted to play through his injury, he could make things worse and potentially cause permanent damage to his shoulder. That isn’t a risk worth taking, but you have to give him credit for attempting to fight through the pain and get back on the court with his teammates.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Julius Randle, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
Following the Knicks’ victory over the Kings, head coach Tom Thibodeau was asked a series of questions about Randle’s injury. There seemed to be something lost in translation when he was asked about giving updates, which he clarified via Fred Katz of The Athletic.
There was some confusion originally about the contact Randle was taking which led to his setback. It was believed that he was doing 5-on-5 full contact, which is normally the last step to getting back on the court.
But, as Thibodeau explained, it was controlled contact with pads Randle could not get past. Once it was clear no more progress was being made, the decision for Randle to go under the knife and have surgery was made.
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