Getty Immanuel Quickley of the New York Knicks reacts against the Chicago Bulls.
The New York Knicks may have won their 44 game of the year Wednesday night and widened the gap even further between them and the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets, but their latest triumph did not come without a cost.
During the second quarter of their bout against the Miami Heat, All-Star big man Julius Randle collapsed to the ground in agony after rolling his ankle whilst securing an offensive rebound.
The injury–later ruled a sprained left ankle–was so severe that the big man hobbled off the floor in excruciating pain after attempting two free throws and never made it back to the contest.
Following the game, Immanuel Quickley was asked if he was able to “check in” with his reeling teammate at any point on the night to see how he was holding up. In response, while not providing much from a medical standpoint, the guard noted that, from what he could tell, Randle was doing well.
“Yea, he was good,” Quickley said when discussing seeing Randle after his injury. “He seemed like he was good. Honestly, I don’t know the severity of it. I know it was bad just by the reaction when they showed the replay but he was in good spirits when I talked to him.”
Immanuel Quickley says Julius Randle was in “good spirits” after his injury:
While there has been no official word on how long Julius Randle will remain sidelined as he recovers from the injury, based on his immediate reaction, one can safely assume that he’ll be out for an extended period of time.
Isaiah Hartenstein Credits Randle for Confidence Boost
During his post-game media session, Isaiah Hartenstein got sentimental when discussing Julius Randle’s impact on both him and the team this season.
In specific, the big man noted that the All-Star gave him a real confidence boost early on in the year when, admittedly, he was not performing all that well.
“It was health first of all; I think it was after one game I played bad; I think I got a text from Julius, just saying to keep going,” Hartenstein said. “Just him being a teammate like that. I think helped give me more confidence. And I think of the whole season; he’s been really good at making sure that everyone feels comfortable.”
Isaiah Hartenstein credits Julius Randle with pulling him out of a funk earlier in the season by sending him encouraging texts:
Despite enduring a rather up-and-down start to his Knicks tenure earlier in the year, since the start of January Hartenstein has begun to find his feet within the rotation.
Since the beginning of the new year, the 24-year-old has found himself sporting averages of 4.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and just shy of a block per game while shooting 54.7% from the field in 19.9 minutes played.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson ‘Not That Concerned’ For Randle
Though initial reactions to Julius Randle’s ankle injury proved to be rather worrisome, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson suggested post-game Wednesday night that he’s not losing sleep over his teammate’s ailment.
“I know Julius is a fighter, he’s a competitor, he’s doing everything he can to make sure he’s ready to go,” Brunson said. “I’m not that concerned.”
“I know Julius is a fighter. He’s a competitor. He’s going to do everything he can to make sure he’s ready to go. But I’m not that concerned”
— Jalen Brunson on Julius Randle, whose ankle sprain will be evaluated Thursday
Brunson has dealt with his own injury woes throughout his first season with the Knicks in 2022-23, as he was relegated to the sidelines in seven of New York’s last 12 games due to a nagging foot injury followed by a sprained right hand.