Julius Randle’s season has come to an end. The New York Knicks power forward has been out of the lineup since Jan. 27 after dislocating his shoulder during the team’s win against the Miami Heat. With four minutes left to play, he collided with Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was attempting to draw a charge. The 29-year-old was immediately rushed to the locker room and did not return. While the hope until now was that he’d make a comeback before the playoffs, as per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Randle will undergo a season-ending right shoulder surgery.

Randle had been “relentlessly rehabilitating” for 2 months in hopes of avoiding surgery and returning before the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, as per his doctors, “his shoulder’s continued instability made it unsafe for him to play again this season.” While the news may be distressing for Knicks fans, they may find solace in the fact that the surgery would prevent Randle from further injury and possibly permanent damage to the injured shoulder. Wojnarowski also noted that undergoing the surgical procedure at this moment would enable him to recover fully and make a comeback around the beginning of the 2024–25 season.

This news is a massive blow for the fifth-seeded Knicks, trying to avoid the play-in fate, with just two games clear of the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers. Julius Randle was on a roll before the injury derailed his season. The 3x NBA All-Star was the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while connecting on 47.2% of his shots from the floor and 31.1% from the deep in 46 games this season. The Knicks are noticeably better with him on the floor than off, scoring seven more points when he is in the game.

Injuries haunt New York Knicks’ playoff dreams

The injury bug has hit the New York Knicks hard in recent months, sidelining three of their starters. Alongside Julius Randle, the Knicks have been missing the services of OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. Anunoby has been out of action since March 16 due to an elbow injury, with his return date still uncertain. To put into perspective how much this has impacted the Knicks, the team boasted a 12-2 record with Randle and Anunoby in the lineup together and had the league’s No. 1 defense over that 14-game stretch.

Adding to their woes, Mitchell Robinson has also been unavailable. After a 3 1/2-month absence due to left ankle surgery, Robinson returned only to be placed on ankle management, further depleting the Knicks’ lineup. Joining the injury club, Josh Hart has also made an appearance on the injury report due to a right wrist sprain ahead of the game against the Sacramento Kings tonight.

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Despite Jalen Brunson’s heroic efforts, which included a career-best 61-point game in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks find themselves in a rut, dropping three consecutive games. With seven games remaining, it will be interesting to see if the banged-up Knicks can manage to avoid the play-in or an early postseason exit.

“Frustrated” Josh Hart’s Julius Randle & OG Anunoby Admission Could End Knicks’ Postseason Dreams