One of the players who missed most of the Knicks’ season is All-Star forward, Julius Randle. Randle suffered a separated shoulder on January 27 against the Miami Heat, which led to a premature end to his season.
He attempted to rehabilitate his shoulder and return to the field, but was unable to go beyond controlled contact. This resulted in a setback in his rehabilitation, as his shoulder was not stable enough to play and he decided to undergo surgery.
Without a player of Randle’s caliber in the lineup, many teams would have folded. Especially when you take into consideration that the Knicks were also without Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby for some stretches.
But the Knicks rallied despite the entire starting frontcourt being sidelined. Although Randle was unable to help the team on the field, he remained an important piece of the puzzle. After Sunday’s win over the Bulls, Donte DiVincenzo revealed how Randle helped this team win 50 games even though he wasn’t in the lineup.
“The presence that he has, on and off the court … he still checks in with everyone, he’s still locked in,” DiVincenzo said of the injured Randle, via Knicks Videos on X.