Julius Randle Of The Knicks Dislocated His Right Shoulder

Julius Randle, a New York Knicks forward, fell hard Saturday and dislocated his right shoulder in the last minutes of the team’s 125-109 victory over the Miami Heat, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to the source, X-rays revealed little damage, but an MRI check is set for later Saturday.

With just over four minutes left in the game, Randle drove to the hoop as Miami wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. slipped over defensively in an attempt to get a charge call on the Knicks’ star. Randle lay down on the Madison Square Garden floor in discomfort for a time before his teammates helped him up using only his left arm.

When he came to his feet, he groaned and informed the Knicks’ training staff that he was unable to move his right arm. Anthony Goenaga, the team’s head trainer, seemed to try to aid Randle by snapping his right arm back into its socket, but a hunched-over Randle jogged back to the locker room, unable to take the free throws he’d earned due to the Jaquez foul.

It was a clear indication that Randle, one of the league’s toughest and most physical players, was in significant discomfort. “You knew for him to do that [it might be serious],” said coach Tom Thibodeau, who spoke before the club was aware of the severity of the injury. “He’s a man who toys with things, and that’s what you like about him. “He is a warrior.” When asked how concerned he was about the star forward, Thibodeau replied, “Very.”

“It was an, ‘Oh s—‘ reaction,” said fellow star Jalen Brunson of witnessing Randle fall. “We don’t want to see that from anyone, especially him, given how he has been performing. He means a great deal to us. So for him to go back there is definitely not ideal.”

The timing of Randle’s injury is unfortunate for the Knicks, who have been the NBA’s hottest team since the calendar changed to 2024 and improved to 12-2 in that time with Saturday’s victory. Randle, who was named All-NBA last season, is an All-Star contender this season and averages 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for the fourth-place Knicks.

It was not immediately apparent how much time Randle will lose due to his injury.

Brunson dislocated his right shoulder during a game for the Dallas Mavericks in February 2020, missing weeks of play before undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in the same arm. “It was pretty painful; I can’t lie,” he told me.