Knicks star Julius Randle to have season-ending shoulder surgery

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Knicks star Julius Randle will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder and be re-evaluated in five months, the team announced Thursday.

Randle wanted badly to return this season, but continued instability in his shoulder prevented him from coming back, per SNY sources.

Randle was told by specialists that he wouldn’t be able to get his shoulder in a place where he could play, necessitating the surgery, those sources say.

Randle is said to be devastated that he can’t return, particularly because he felt the Knicks had a real chance to contend following the OG Anunoby trade, per people familiar with the matter. He hoped to play through the injury in the playoffs just as he had a year ago when he returned from an ankle injury to play in the postseason for New York.

Randle, a three-time All Star, injured his shoulder against the Miami Heat on Jan. 27.

He’d been trying to rehab his dislocated right shoulder for the past two months. Randle made progress in that rehab initially, leading to optimism internally that he would return during the regular season.

More recently, Randle’s rehab hit a roadblock. He was able to do everything on the court except for taking full contact in a scrimmage setting. Randle was stuck at that point in rehab – waiting to take contact – for several weeks.

SNY reported last month that there was some internal concern over the delay in Randle’s clearance for contact.

In hindsight, that concern was warranted.

Shoulder stability was one element that led to the decision to have surgery. Another element was the possibility of re-injuring the shoulder. Medical people who were consulted said that there was a possibility of Randle dislocating the shoulder and doing permanent damage to it if he returned.

At the time of his injury, Randle – a two-time All NBA player – was averaging 24 points on 47 percent shooting, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

With Randle now out for the season, the Knicks will hope that Anunoby — who has been on the shelf while dealing with renewed elbow issues — can return and provide a jolt in the final games of the season and into the playoffs

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-star-julius-randle-season-144622271.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-04-04 14:46:22

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