Long-term implications for Knicks after Julius Randle’s injury

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After a prolonged effort to return, Julius Randle was revealed to need season-ending shoulder surgery. He will be re-evaluated in five months. The three-time All-Star’s absence will have a significant impact as the Knicks gear up for a playoff run without him. But his absence also has ramifications on the franchise’s future.

This season, the Knicks made a bet on the duo of Jalen Brunson and Randle when they dealt away scoring-oriented youngsters RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for better-fitting role player OG Anunoby. That plan worked immediately as New York went 12-2 after the trade. 

In that span, the Knicks had the best defense in the NBA. And the offense was running smoothly with Brunson and Randle leading the way while role players such as Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein provided the right mix of spacing, passing and rebounding around the two stars.

Randle specifically had found his game after an extremely ice-cold start to the season. The forward was averaging 24.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in his last 14 games before his shoulder injury. His shooting efficiency around the floor had risen back to respectable.

That’s what makes Randle’s injury so difficult for New York. A 14-game sample size in January is too small. This year’s playoff run would’ve given the Knicks a clearer view if that elite stretch was sustainable against playoff-level competition. It also offered a chance to see how the Brunson and Randle pairing can work in high leverage situations. It would’ve placed a spotlight on if the team can rely on Randle to carry the offense at key moments, as well.

In the first playoff series of his career in 2021, Randle shot under 30 percent from the field and was listless as the Atlanta Hawks cruised to a five-game first round win. Last year, he dealt with an ankle injury and was uneven in New York’s second-round loss to the Miami Heat. 

Yesterday’s price is not today’s price

Ideally, Randle’s path to playoff redemption was supposed to happen this year. But now, his injury leaves more questions than answers for how the team will build. This…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/long-term-implications-knicks-julius-140000277.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-04-06 14:00:00

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