Julius Randle is “a warrior,” Tom Thibodeau said, who frequently plays through pain that few outsiders even know is there.
So when the Knicks’ head coach saw his star forward not attempt to stay in the game in the closing minutes of Saturday’s 125-109 win over the Heat at the Garden after hurting his shoulder on a hard fall, he knew something was wrong.
Thibodeau said he is “very” concerned about Randle, whose initial X-rays showed a dislocated right shoulder, according to ESPN.
The severity of the injury will not be known until he undergoes an MRI.
Randle barreled to the hoop at 4:27 of the fourth quarter in a game the Knicks were leading by 17.
He crashed into Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was attempting to draw a charge, and he tried to break his fall by extending his right arm to the floor.
As the rest of Randle’s big body followed him down, his arm was extended underneath him.
After a block was called, Randle would have needed to attempt the free throws if he wanted to remain eligible to sub back into the game.
Instead, he slumped off the floor and to the locker room as Jericho Sims subbed in.
Jalen Brunson’s reaction: “Oh s–t.”
“You don’t want to see that from anybody — especially the way he’s been playing,” the star point guard said. “He means a lot to us. So for him to go back there [to the locker room], obviously it’s not ideal.
“When we figure out what’s wrong, we’ll go from there.”
Randle has been a rock for the Knicks, playing all but 15 games since joining the team in 2019.
He has taken the floor in each game this season and is third in the NBA in minutes played, a category he dominates annually.
Randle logged the fifth-most minutes last season, 14th-most in 2021-22 and ranked first in 2020-21.
He continually plays through pain and did not miss a game this season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle last June.
He clearly was not at full health at the start of this campaign but pressed on.
“He’s a guy who plays through things, and that’s what you love about him,” Thibodeau said. “He’s a warrior. And so, any time someone walks back, you know it’s something. I don’t want to speculate until we have the information.”
Randle is a major component of a Knicks team that has won six straight and 12 of 14 since the OG Anunoby trade.
The two-time All-Star might be having his strongest season, more efficient than ever.
Randle is averaging 24 points on 47.2 percent shooting, his best mark since joining the organization.
His 9.2 rebounds and five assists — passing better than ever — also are critical for an offense that depends on him.
If Randle has to miss extended time, Anunoby could shift to the power forward, but the Knicks do not truly have another Randle.
“He’s a big part of our team,” Isaiah Hartenstein said, “but at the end of the day, we don’t really know what’s happening. If he’s out, then guys got to step up.”
