Julius Randle has a dislocated right shoulder, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN was first to report the diagnosis.
The two-time All-Star suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of a 125-109 win over the Miami Heat. With the New York Knicks close to victory, Randle drove to the basket, where Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. met him. Jaquez tried to take a charge. Randle attempted to jump over him, which sent the burly power forward toppling to the floor. He got the blocking foul but landed on his right shoulder, which popped out of place.
Randle quickly departed for the locker room, did not shoot the free throws and did not return to the court.
When asked after the game if he was concerned about the injury, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau responded with one word: “Very.” Randle is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday night. The Knicks next play Monday at the Charlotte Hornets. There is still no word yet on Randle’s timetable to return.
“He’s a guy who plays through things, and that’s what you love about him,” Thibodeau said. “He’s a warrior. And so, any time someone walks back, you know it’s something. I don’t wanna speculate until we have the information.”
The scene was jarring.
Randle is known for his availability above all else. He has played in all 46 of the Knicks’ games so far this season and played in the first 77 of 2022-23 before missing the final five with an ankle injury that eventually led to offseason surgery.
He is famous for playing through bumps and bruises.
“That’s the best part of him,” Thibodeau said. “He has a very high pain tolerance.”
But on Saturday, after he hit the deck, he popped back up, shoulder out of place, and headed immediately to the locker room, a rare occurrence. His teammate, Jalen Brunson, said watching Randle fall and then hobble to the tunnel gave him “an ‘oh, s—’ reaction.”
Until 4:27 to go in Saturday’s game, when Randle went down with the injury, it seemed like nothing could go wrong for the Knicks.
They had just demolished the defending champion Denver Nuggets 122-84 on Thursday and were following up the evisceration with a roaring fourth quarter to extend a three-point lead over the Heat to 17. After the win over Miami, the Knicks are now 12-2 since trading for OG Anunoby.
The Knicks — who are 29-17 on the season, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference — have been balling, and Randle has been in the middle of it all.
GO DEEPER
Katz: Knicks are not a perfect team, but they shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broken
He is a candidate, if not a favorite, to make his third All-Star Game in four years, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. And he’s succeeded often because of plays like the one he got injured on, when he fights through crowds on the way to the basket, forces fouls and uses his strength to finish around the hoop.
After the game, the Knicks directed no accusations of dirty intentions at the Heat. In fact, New York dubbed the charge attempt from Jaquez as just a basketball play.
“The thing is, both teams are hard-playing,” Thibodeau said. “So there’s gonna be a lot of tough plays like that. You don’t wanna see it. I don’t wanna see anyone get hurt on our team or their team. But that’s part of the game. The only way you can guarantee someone not getting hurt is you never play.”
And now, the Knicks await more information about Randle’s future.
“You don’t want to see that from anybody, especially (with) the way he’s been playing,” Brunson said. “He means a lot to us.”
Required reading
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
