New York Knicks All-Star Suffers Ankle Injury

The New York Knicks have suffered an untimely injury. Two-time All-Star Julius Randle exited last night's 101-92 win over the Miami Heat with an ankle injury and did not return.

Julius Randle (sprained left ankle) will not return.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 30, 2023

Randle went down with a left ankle sprain after 14 minutes of play. He struggled with his shot in his limited action, scoring three points and hitting only one of his five field goal attempts. He added five rebounds and one assist before his departure.

After struggling in 2021-22, Randle has bounced back to propel the Knicks to their best season in a decade. His 25.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game lead the team, and his 77 appearances are the most by any player in the NBA. His .581 true shooting percentage is also his best since joining the Knicks in 2019. The Knicks' 44 wins this year are already their most in a season since 2012-13.

Randle's injury is a tragedy, but there's a chance he can bounce back in time for the playoffs. The Knicks' 44-33 record has them four games ahead of the seventh-seeded Heat with five games to play. The Knicks should be able to avoid the play-in tournament even while playing it safe with Randle. With any luck, he should be near 100% for the postseason.

The Knicks are back in action Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their final regular season game is April 9th against the Indiana Pacers.