Even without the services of Julius Randle, the second-seeded Knicks are one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals for just the second time in 12 seasons. The All-Star forward underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in early April and had not played in a game since Jan. 27.
Randle averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists across 46 games before dislocating his shoulder. On Wednesday, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) announced on Instagram that Randle would be represented by them going forward after leaving them for WME Sports ahead of the season.
The 29-year-old’s latest injury prevented him from earning a $1.28 million bonus for 65 games played in the regular season.
While Randle has not been seen in the locker room or at many games since suffering his injury, he has still kept contact with his teammates, according to Josh Hart. Speaking to reporters in Philadelphia ahead of the Knicks’ Game 6 showdown against the 76ers, Hart said Randle’s communication has been consistent and the team misses his production — especially at a time like this.
“Yeah, he’s in contact with us,” Hart said. “I mean, he’s an All-Star. He [averaged] 24, nine and five or whatever it is. So, that playmaking, shot making, is something that we’re missing. It’s funny, when people talk about us, they somehow forget the big void we have of 24 and 9 gone. It’s not like he’s out there with us 70-80 percent. He’s not out there. So, that’s something that’s a big void that we knew was going to be hard to fill. But his playmaking, his shot making, his energy is something that we definitely miss.”
Injuries have been a major obstacle for the Knicks this season, as they recently lost Bojan Bogdanovic to a season-ending foot surgery.
The Knicks went 29-17 with Randle during the regular season and 21-15 without him. However, the absence of Randle has made life more difficult for Jalen Brunson throughout the first round of the playoffs, as Philadelphia’s defense has routinely sold out on limiting him without the threat of a true secondary scorer.
The Knicks have still had some success offensively. Brunson has averaged 34.4 points through the first five games of their first-round series. But no other Knicks player is averaging more than 17 points per game in the first-round series. Josh Hart (17.0) and OG Anunoby (14.2) rank second and third, respectively, in points per game through the first five postseason games. The Knicks have averaged 106.4 points per game as a team on a 43.7% clip while knocking down 11.4 3-pointers per game across the series.
Randle will earn $27.5 million next season, has a $29.4 million player option scheduled for 2025-26, and will be an unrestricted free agent entering 2026-27.
