Julius Randle’s season has come to an abrupt end. The Knicks Forward had been in rehab for two months to treat his dislocated shoulder and made decent progress in his recovery. However, Randle revealed that a full contact session 5 weeks ago reinjured his shoulder, leading to him opting for surgery eventually and ending his season early. Amid the latest update, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau revealed key details about Randle’s season-ending injury. He sat down for an interview with The Athletic’s Fred Katz, following Randle’s update.

Thibodeau fully confirmed Randle had recently started contact practice. “But it was controlled contact. It was with pads.” Randle had his ups and downs during the sessions where some days he felt good to go and felt sore on others. Thibodeau said Randle’s injury was being closely monitored by the Knicks, “So every day he goes through contact. We felt it would be soreness. If it flares up a little bit, you want to see where he is the next day. And that was the big thing.” Thibodeau further revealed that the pads Randle was practicing with were like football pads, which the officials held during the sessions.

“The idea was keep progressing, give him more. If he handles that, give him more.” Had Randle gone past those sessions, he would have progressed to going against a live body and eventually to read and react sessions. However, Coach Thibs claimed Randle never advanced past the pads’ sessions. He believes the player made an informed decision after considering all options and the Knicks will support him in his final choice.

Tom Thibodeau is focused on winning despite Julius Randle’s injury

The Knicks head coach expressed his disappointment after losing an All-Star caliber player like Randle. But he did not want to discuss Randle’s injury further and focused on what was next. He said, “That decision is made. We’re not gonna talk about it anymore. We’re gonna focus on what we have to focus on, which is winning the next game. That’s it.”

Thibodeau appreciated the Knicks squad for holding their own in Randle’s absence. Jalen Brunson and Co. are 16-14 without Randle this season. Coach Thibs applauded the players who have stepped up their game amid their injury struggles. “Josh has stepped in and played great. Precious has really played well for us.” Precious Achiuwa has seen a drastic increase in playing time since Randle’s injury. And he has performed well in his new role, averaging 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks.

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Josh Hart has also been in incredible form this season. He has played over 40 minutes in the majority of the games and missed only one game this season. Even tonight, Hart dropped 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists to lead the Knicks to a 120-109 victory over Sacramento. Even without Julius Randle, the Knicks have a solid team that can make a deep run in the playoffs. In the end, Tom Thibodeau is focused on reaching the ultimate goal, despite Randle’s absence.

Julius Randle, in Text Exchange With NBA Insider, Reveals Bizarre Decision That Aggravated Shoulder Injury