Report: Knicks forward Julius Randle inclined to play "even if he's hurt"

If you wanted to hear something positive about the Knicks as they enter the home stretch of the regular season on their way to the playoffs, you surely did on Saturday. Whether that’s for the good or the bad, however, you be the judge.

Adrian Wojnarowski, speaking on NBA Countdown before the game between the Celtics and the Knicks played on Saturday, said that Julius Randle’s “inclination is to play,” adding that will be the case “even if he’s hurt and in some discomfort.”

Will there eventually be a surgery? Maybe, maybe not. Will Randle make it to the court at some point before June? You bet—as if that was news coming from the stubborn three-time All-Star.

Wojnarowski revealed that Randle “is right on schedule,” and that “there have not been any setbacks” when it comes to the timeline the franchise was managing since knowing more about his shoulder injury, one he suffered on Jan. 27 in a matchup against the Miami Heat.

“[The Knicks] will re-evaluate him at the end of next week, and then the hope is he starts to get back on the court then,” Wojnarowski said. “There’s not full clarity yet on Randle’s next step,” he concluded.

At the end of the day, we all know Randle is going to simply find a way to play, whether that’s for the good or the bad. The dude simply cares about playing and winning, although it might be worth saving Randle from himself here and keeping him on the sidelines for as much time af needed if that’s the best for the present and the future of both JR and the Knicks as a whole.

“You kind of start there with Julius Randle,” Wojnarowski said. “His inclination is to play, and it is to play even if he’s hurt and in some discomfort. That’s his goal right now—to try to get back and play and put anything off to the offseason.”

After saying that, however, Woj added that the situation is “still fluid” and that his comeback (or when it will happen, if it happens) “has not been fully decided.”

Speaking ahead of the matchup against Boston, head coach Tom Thibodeau shared some more information about Randle’s status without really revealing anything new.

“He’s working on his conditioning. He’s got to meet all the markers and then he’ll start ramping up with the contact. And then once he’s cleared, he’s cleared,” Thibodeau said. ”You trust the medical [staff] and the player. So Julius has a say, but the doctors and your medical staff, they’re involved with that as well.”

At least Thibs seems to align with the common sense of not simply going by Randle’s word and feelings, but rather listening to the actual doctors and their assessment of Julius’ shoulder from a proper, medical, cautious standpoint.

“Once he is cleared medically, then you’ve got to start the process of playing. Each day it gets better. So have to weigh what’s best for your team. That’s always going to be the priority,” Thibs said, “but the player’s health is at the forefront. Once he’s cleared, you can take it step-by-step from there.”

Interestingly, Julius Randle did some on-court work (h/t @KnicksNation)at the Garden before the game against the Celtics on Saturday and he was visibly active both shooting and doing some cardio.

On Friday, another video h/t @NBA_NewYork) was posted online by fitness trainer Amoila Cesar on his personal Instagram account showing Julius Randle hoisting some shots, the first time we had seen him doing it since he suffered the injury in late January.

Lisa Salters of ESPN reported on Saturday’s pre-game show that Thibodeau expects Randle to return by mid-March if he doesn’t have to undergo surgery before the offseason, delaying going under the knife until the summer.

That aligns with the Knicks' original timeline for Randle’s comeback, one that was scheduled to start with a re-evaluation following the All-Star break. The last time we heard from Randle himself, on Wednesday, he said he is “just focused on trying to avoid [surgery], obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can,” without ruling it out entirely—neither during the regular season and the playoffs nor at some point throughout the postseason.