OUCH: Knicks Lose Julius Randle for At Least Two Weeks Due to Ankle Injury

The New York Knicks got some bad news on Thursday afternoon.

The organization officially announced that All-Star power forward Julius Randle will have to be re-evaluated in two weeks after sustaining an ankle sprain on Wednesday night. Randle appeared to suffer the injury when going up for a rebound late in the 2nd quarter. He came down awkwardly on Bam Adebayo’s foot and immediately went to the ground.

Of course, this feels like significant news with just five games left in New York’s regular season. The Knicks are currently only 2.5 games above the Nets for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. As for now, that would put them in a series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. If they were to drop one spot, however, they could end up facing the Philidelphia 76ers, who have been arguably the hottest team in the NBA for the past couple of months.

But, fine, let’s assume they’re able to lock in the No. 5 seed. We still have to remember a re-evaluation doesn’t mean a return to play. Two weeks from today would be April 13. The NBA playoffs begin on April 15. With that being the case, there is absolutely no guarantee that Randle is ready for Game 1 of the Knicks’ first-round series. And, when we consider they could be playing one of the most formidable frontcourts in the league that features both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, that should be a big concern for New York.