There aren’t many teams in the NBA that have had to deal with the number of injuries suffered by the New York Knicks during the 2023-24 NBA regular season. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, something New York learned the hard way this season.
Everyone on their roster has missed at least one game this season, with Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo leading the way with 67 of 68 games played each. Taking into account injuries and team trades, 25 different players have appeared for the Knicks in this season.
The team’s frontcourt has been particularly affected by injuries. Center Mitchell Robinson, the starter coming into the season, has been sidelined since Dec. 8. OG Anunoby, acquired from the Toronto Raptors before the new year, missed 18 games with an elbow issue, played three and was sidelined again.
Arguably the biggest loss, however, was that of NBA All-Star, Julius Randle. Randle was injured on January 27 while playing against the Miami Heat. He went for a layup when Jaime Jaquez Jr. slid under him trying to charge. Unable to resist the fall, Randle fell hard on his right arm and dislocated his shoulder.
There haven’t been many updates on Randle, as he has avoided surgery thus far, but it remains a possible avenue. According to SNY.tv’s Ian Begley, some people fear Randle hasn’t yet gotten permission for the contact.
“As SNY reported last week , there was some internal concern about the idea that Randle had not yet been cleared to contact. At the time of the Kings game, Randle had not yet been cleared to make full contact. It is unclear whether he was authorized to be contacted in the days that followed,” Begley wrote.
The contact is the last phase Randle must overcome in his recovery process. He’s doing everything else on the court, as the workouts he’s doing before the Knicks game seemed intense.
However, according to Begley, many people are optimistic that Randle will eventually be available. “Three people I spoke with familiar with the situation expressed confidence that Randle would eventually return to court,” Begley wrote.