Getting out of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs won’t be easy for the Knicks.
While New York finished the regular season with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, it enters the playoffs without its second-leading scorer, Julius Randle, due to injury.
Randle has been out since the end of January with a shoulder issue. There was hope that he would be able to rejoin the Knicks as they look to build on last season’s run to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but he has since undergone surgery.
Here’s what you need to know about Randle’s injury and his status for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
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What is Julius Randle’s injury?
The Knicks announced on April 4 that Randle was going to have surgery on his right shoulder.
The three-time All-Star had been sidelined since Jan. 27 after dislocating his right shoulder. Late in the fourth quarter of New York’s win over Miami, Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. attempted to draw a charge on Randle. As Randle rose for a layup, the collision caused him to fall directly on his right shoulder.
Randle appeared in 46 of a possible 82 games in 2023-24. He averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
Why is Julius Randle not playing in 2024 NBA Playoffs?
The Knicks are expected to be without Randle for the duration of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Randle hoped to avoid surgery and return in time for the postseason, but he was warned by doctors that “continued instability in the shoulder made it unsafe for him to play again this season,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Randle reportedly risked permanent damage in his shoulder if he returned before surgery.
“We wanted to take a look at, could we rehab it and strengthen it get it to the point where he could play?” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And we could never get there, so this is the decision.”
Randle is expected to make a full recovery and return around the start of next season, per Wojnarowski.
The Knicks went 29-17 with Randle and 21-15 without him in the 2023-24 regular season.
Knicks vs. 76ers schedule, results
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| April 20 | Knicks 111, 76ers 104 | — | — |
| April 22 | Knicks 104, 76ers 101 | — | — |
| April 25 | 76ers 125, Knicks 114 | — | — |
| April 28 | Knicks 97, 76ers 92 | — | — |
| April 30 | 76ers 112, Knicks 106 (OT) | — | — |
| May 2 | Game 6 | 9 p.m. | TNT, Sling |
| May 4 | Game 7* | 7 p.m. | TNT, Sling |
* If necessary
