NEW YORK — Julius Randle needs surgery on his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season, a crushing blow for a New York Knicks team that was surging before the All-Star forward was hurt in January.
The Knicks said Thursday that Randle would be re-evaluated in five months, meaning it’s unclear if he will even be ready for the start of next season.
But they had focused on their possibilities for this season when Randle dislocated his shoulder Jan. 27 in a victory over the Miami Heat. The Knicks ended up 14-2 that month, tied for the second-most wins in franchise history in a month.
But without Randle, and starters OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson out for most of their games since then, the Knicks had fallen into fifth place in the Eastern Conference entering their game Thursday against Sacramento.
“Tough blow for us, but we’ve just got to focus on what we have in the locker room and he’ll to be there to support us,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said.
Randle told Bleacher Report he decided on surgery after re-injuring the shoulder during a workout a month ago — though Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has consistently said Randle was never cleared to take contact.