It looks like Julius Randle’s disappointing 2021-2022 New York Knicks season will come to a merciful end with five games left to play.
After a run to remember last year, when he won the league’s award for “most improved player” and was showered with chants of “MVP!” by Knicks fans, this season has been the opposite for Randle. In 2021-2022, the team’s highest-paid player had a decline in his stats across the board, with his points per game and shooting percentages seeing the most notable regressions.
It comes as no surprise then that with Julius Randle not having anywhere near the season he had last year, the team has also taken nose dive in performance. Going from a fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season to one that won’t even reach a play-in game once the playoffs begin in a few weeks. In recent months, Knicks fans have loudly let their former All-Star know about their disappointment and it’s led to rumblings of Randle being moved in the offseason.
Julius Randle ‘likely’ done for the rest of Knicks season
Despite the team’s disappointing play throughout the season, they still had an outside chance of trying to get themselves back in the hunt for one of those four play-in game spots. Especially with Randle playing far better over the last month. Unfortunately, a quad injury knocked him out of several pivotal games in mid-March and pretty much derailed the team’s remaining playoff hopes.
- Julius Randle stats (2021-2022): 20.9 PPG, 41.1% shooting, 9.9 REB, 5.1 AST
Now, it seems despite a recent return to action, the same injury has been re-aggravated and will likely force the team to shut Randle down and keep him out of the final five games of the season. Giving last year’s first-round pick Obi Toppin a chance to start more games for the team down the stretch.
“Tom Thibodeau said Julius Randle is out for tomorrow’s game in Orlando, too, and ‘most likely will be out the rest of the way,’ The Athletic Knicks beat writer Fred Katz tweeted on Saturday.
The Knicks return to the NBA games today schedule Saturday to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.