Knicks' Julius Randle Has Surgery on Ankle Injury; Reportedly to Be Ready for Season
The New York Knicks announced Saturday that All-Star forward Julius Randle underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle Friday.
The Knicks added that Randle will resume basketball activities "later this summer," and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Randle should be good to go for training camp in the fall and the start of the 2023-24 season.
Per Wojnarowski, Randle suffered two "significant" ankle sprains late in the 2022-23 season and played through it with the knowledge that he would likely require surgery.
The 28-year-old Randle has spent the past four seasons in New York after stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.
He has enjoyed his greatest individual success with the Knicks, earning a pair of All-Star nods. His first came in 2020-21 when he averaged 24.1 points and a career-high 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game en route to finishing eighth in the NBA MVP voting.
This season, Randle averaged a career-high 25.1 points per game, plus 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Randle was clearly hobbled during the playoffs, as his averages sharply declined to 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.
With Randle leading the way in 2021, the Knicks went 41-31 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2013, although they were knocked out in the first round.
New York dropped to 37-45 and missed the playoffs last season, but they bounced back this season with a 47-35 mark, which was good for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, marking only their second playoff series win since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000.
New York was then eliminated in the second round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
In addition to Randle bouncing back, one of the biggest reasons for the Knicks' success this season was the arrival of guard Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.
Although he wasn't named an All-Star, Brunson put up All-Star-caliber numbers with 24.0 points, 6.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
New York is set to return much of its core next season, as Randle, Brunson, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin are all under contract.
The Knicks may need to add another piece to take the next step and contend for a championship, but they are closer to that level now than they have been in many years.
