Julius Randle on improving after slow start: 'It's a gradual buildup'
Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks drives past Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH — Julius Randle’s left ankle is feeling stronger every day, but the Knicks forward said he still is in the process of getting back to the All-Star-caliber player he was last season.
“I had surgery 4 1/2 months ago, and it’s lower-extremity surgery, so to think I would come into this season and just be Julius right off the bat is kind of naïve,” he told reporters after practice Friday.
Randle underwent arthroscopic surgery in the offseason on the ankle he sprained at the end of the 2022-23 regular season and reinjured in the playoffs. In his first six games this season, he averaged 13.7 points and shot 27.1%, ranking last among all qualified shooters in that category.
He looked like his old self in the Knicks’ last two games, wins over the Clippers and Spurs. He had a season-high 27 points against Los Angeles and 24 against San Antonio.
“I’m starting to get better, but it’s a gradual buildup,” Randle said. ‘I’m just thankful for guys like RJ [Barrett] and Jalen [Brunson]. They’ve been able to carry the load while I get back and get healthy and start getting better.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t surprised when Randle got off to a slow start.
“I didn’t know what we were going to get,” Thibodeau said of Randle’s play at the start of the season. “Just because with any player coming off of surgery, we don't know. I knew whatever we were going to get was all he had.
“The big thing is any time someone has surgery in the offseason, you are not coming back to where you left off. There’s going to be a phase where there’s a return to play, and then you have that next step. The only way you get there is to go through it."
In the previous three seasons, Randle, 28, was one of the league leaders in total minutes. Last season, he played the team’s first 77 games before rolling his ankle and missing the final five games of the regular season.
Randle confirmed Friday that the Knicks talked to him about easing into the season.
“Yeah, obviously I wanna play,” he said. “If I feel like I can help the team win, I do so. There will be continuous talks with the medical team and the staff moving forward and what’s best for myself health-wise as the season goes along. We’ll see when we get there.”
In these days of load management, it’s rare for a player to really push himself to play every game. Randle, however, said it’s a mentality he’s always had.
“I just love the game. I love competition. I just love being out there, playing for my teammates,” he said. “A lot of people look back and their career goes by fast and they wish they would’ve did this and that. And I’m the type of person, leave no stone unturned, just go out there and compete every chance I get. I just love to play at the end of the day.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
