The New York Knicks picked up their sixth straight win on Saturday night when they dominated the Miami Heat in a 125-107 win at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately the focal point after the game wasn’t on yet another strong two-way showing from the Knicks, but instead was concern over the status of star forward Julius Randle.
Late in the fourth quarter with the Knicks up 115-98, Randle drove to the basket when Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez tried to slide in for a charge, getting underneath Randle as he went up to the basket. Randle landed hard on his right shoulder, suffering a dislocation and had to exit the game.
Ever since, Knicks fans have been waiting on the results of further testing and an MRI to reveal a timetable for Randle’s absence from the team, and on Monday morning Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania brought some relatively good news on that front. Randle hasn’t suffered significant damage to his shoulder and is apparently expected to be back in a few weeks time, rather than missing months of action, which is about as good as the Knicks and their fans could have hoped for.
As testing continues on Knicks All-Star F Julius Randle’s right shoulder, indications are optimistic that his absence will be measured in weeks and not months, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 29, 2024
Sources: Knicks star Julius Randle is expected to be sidelined for at least a few weeks with a right shoulder dislocation. Appears to be a sigh of relief for New York as initial reviews of MRI reveal no significant damage. pic.twitter.com/b4JAwMI0GJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2024
It does help that the All-Star break is coming up in a few weeks, and the Knicks will not play a game for a full week as their last game before the break is on February 14 and their first game after it is February 22. While this injury will preclude Randle from participating in All-Star Weekend, it’s possible he could return not long after the Knicks resume their season — with the caveat that it’s all dependent on how his shoulder heals and if he’s dealing with any pain.
It also helps that the Knicks have been sensational of late and have built themselves a bit of a cushion in the race for a top-6 spot in the Eastern Conference. Their win on Saturday pushed them a full five games ahead of the Heat for 7th in the East, and while they might not be able to keep up their torrid winning pace of late without Randle, if they can tread water in his absence they should be able to keep a solid hold on playoff position until he returns.