CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Knicks departed New York on Sunday afternoon, no more certain of their future than the fan base holding its breath for an update on Julius Randle and the status of his dislocated right shoulder.
But even as Randle underwent more testing after Saturday night’s X-ray and MRI, the Knicks had to move on, figuring out how they will handle whatever length of time they will be without their two-time All-Star forward.
The injury could have a wide range of outcomes. A league source confirmed an ESPN report that the X-ray did not show extensive damage to the shoulder, but with more tests being conducted, it remains up in the air. Randle has been ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Hornets.
Jalen Brunson missed about 10 months when he had a similar injury. Steph Curry, on the other hand, missed only 11 games.
Coach Tom Thibodeau always preaches “next man up,” but that bold proclamation is tougher to believe when it is Randle, who rarely sits and is averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
The reality for the Knicks is that as much of a loss as it will be without Randle, the acquisition of OG Anunoby now seems even more important.
“You need everybody,” Thibodeau said after Saturday’s 125-109 win over Miami. “During the course of the season, guys are going to get nicked up. That’s part of it. The challenge for the guys who aren’t in the rotation is to be ready. The practices are their games, and at some point, everyone gets called upon. We count on everyone. That’s the thing we like about our team. The guys are invested in the team and invested in each other. So everyone is capable of executing well.”
Anunoby, who is nearly as tall and strong as Randle, likely will handle the toughest power forward defensive assignments, something he already did even when Randle was available. Whether Thibodeau inserts Josh Hart, Quentin Grimes or even Precious Achiuwa into the vacant starting spot, they figure to see…
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