A league source confirmed that Julius Randle has a dislocated right shoulder The athlete. 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 on the verge of victory, Randle headed to the basket, where he was met by Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaquez tried to take responsibility. Randall tried to jump over him, sending the powerful power forward falling to the ground. He got a blocking foul but fell on his right shoulder, which was out of place.
Randle quickly left for the locker room, did not shoot 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 evening. The Knicks will play their next game on Monday at the Charlotte Hornets. There is still no information on the timeline for Randle's return.
“He's a guy who plays through things, and that's what you love about him,” Thibodeau said. “He's a warrior. So, any time someone comes back, you know it's something. I don't want to speculate until we get the information.”
The scene was shocking.
Randle is known for his availability above all else. He has played in all 46 games for the Knicks so far this season and played in the first 77 games of the 2022-23 season before missing the final five games with an ankle injury that ultimately led to offseason surgery.
He is known for playing through bumps and bruises.
“That's the best part of it,” Thibodeau said. “He has a high pain tolerance.”
But on Saturday, after he hit the roof, he resurfaced, his shoulder popped out, and he immediately headed to the locker room, which is a rare occurrence. His teammate, Jalen Brunson, said watching Randle fall and then hobble into the tunnel gave him an “Oh, s—” reaction.
Until 4:27 before the end of Saturday's game, when Randle went down with an injury, it seemed like nothing could go wrong for the Knicks.
They had just crushed the defending champion Denver Nuggets 122-84 on Thursday and followed up the defeat with a tumultuous fourth quarter to extend the gap with the Heat to 17 points. After the win over Miami, the Knicks are now 12-2 since trading for OG Anunoby.
The Knicks — who are 29-17 this season, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference — were on a roll, and Randle was in the middle of it all.
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He's a candidate, if not favored, to make his third All-Star game in four years, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He has succeeded more often because of plays like the one on which he was injured, when he fights through crowds on his way to the basket, draws fouls and uses his strength to finish around the hoop.
After the game, the Knicks did not press any accusations of dirty intentions against the Heat. In fact, New York called Jaquez's offensive attempt just a basketball game.
“The thing is, both teams play hard,” Thibodeau said. “So there's going to be a lot of tough games like that. You don't want to see it. I don't want to see anyone get hurt on our team or their team. But that's part of the game. The only way you can guarantee that someone doesn't get hurt is to not play never.
Now the Knicks are awaiting more information about Randle's future.
“You don't want to see that from anyone, especially with the way he's playing,” Brunson said. “It means a lot to us.”
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