Knicks need everyone to step up in Julius Randle's absence

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Knicks departed New York on Sunday afternoon, no more certain of their future than the fan base holding its breath for an update on Julius Randle and the status of his dislocated right shoulder.

But even as Randle underwent more testing after Saturday night’s X-ray and MRI, the Knicks had to move on, figuring out how they will handle whatever length of time they will be without their two-time All-Star forward.

The injury could have a wide range of outcomes. A league source confirmed an ESPN report that the X-ray did not show extensive damage to the shoulder, but with more tests being conducted, it remains up in the air. Randle has been ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Hornets.

Jalen Brunson missed about 10 months when he had a similar injury. Steph Curry, on the other hand, missed only 11 games.

Coach Tom Thibodeau always preaches “next man up,” but that bold proclamation is tougher to believe when it is Randle, who rarely sits and is averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

The reality for the Knicks is that as much of a loss as it will be without Randle, the acquisition of OG Anunoby now seems even more important.

“You need everybody,” Thibodeau said after Saturday’s 125-109 win over Miami. “During the course of the season, guys are going to get nicked up. That’s part of it. The challenge for the guys who aren’t in the rotation is to be ready. The practices are their games, and at some point, everyone gets called upon. We count on everyone. That’s the thing we like about our team. The guys are invested in the team and invested in each other. So everyone is capable of executing well.”

Anunoby, who is nearly as tall and strong as Randle, likely will handle the toughest power forward defensive assignments, something he already did even when Randle was available. Whether Thibodeau inserts Josh Hart, Quentin Grimes or even Precious Achiuwa into the vacant starting spot, they figure to see their roles increase.

Hart, in particular, may not want to be a power forward, but his rebounding and hustle have endeared him to Thibodeau. Last season, even when the Knicks had Obi Toppin, Hart saw his playing time jump when Randle struggled through an ankle sprain that sidelined him for the last five games of the regular season and hampered him in the playoffs. In the series-clinching win over Cleveland, Randle was limited to 16 minutes and Hart played nearly 47 minutes.

“Next-man-up mentality if things go down that road,” Brunson said. “Our approach and mentality stays the same as a team. Just on to the next one. You don’t want to see anyone go down. Our mentality is always next man up. We got to stick together. We can’t just have one person pick up the slack or anything .  .  . Hopefully he’s going to be all right.”

The Knicks have given themselves some room for error with a six-game winning streak and a 12-2 record since Anunoby arrived, raising their record to 29-17 and putting them within one game of third place in the Eastern Conference. They have been the NBA’s best defensive team in that span, and though Randle’s loss is huge offensively, they might be better defensively when Anunoby and Grimes are together in the lineup. It gives them two defensive stoppers with the versatility to defend at almost every position.

“The thing you like about him is the positive energy from him every day,” Thibodeau said of Anunoby. “So the basketball part, you knew. We traded for him because we thought he was really good. We gave up a lot for him, too. He’s been great on both sides of the ball. He’s a great teammate. He’s very coachable. He’s been huge for us. I think it’s helping the team. I think it’s twofold. I think we’re a good fit for him. I think he’s a good fit for us.”

“We’ve got confidence in everybody,” said Isaiah Hartenstein, who already has been on both sides of it, stepping into the starting lineup when Mitchell Robinson had ankle surgery in December and then returning to the lineup Saturday after two games sidelined with left Achilles tendinopathy.

“I think the luxury we have is that we even got starters on the bench. If someone goes out, we have the luxury that we have guys that can step up. Even when Mitch went down, I know I’m a starter in this league. I know that I cannot replace him. But whatever happens happens. [Randle] is a big part of what we do, but I have a lot of confidence in our guys.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.