New York Knicks' playoff hopes take a huge hit after devastating Julius Randle update

With a recent devastating update on Julius Randle, the New York Knicks' playoff hopes just took a big hit.

With just roughly two weeks remaining in the regular season, there was still some hope that the New York Knicks would be able to enter the NBA playoffs with a fully healthy roster. However, that took a huge hit as it was reported that Julius Randle will now undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

After attempts over the last couple of months to rehab a dislocated shoulder injury in an attempt to make a return to the next in time for the postseason, it has now been decided that shutting Randle down for the remainder of the season is the best path forward. Consulting with doctors, the risk or re-injuring himself was clearly too great for Randle to make a return.

As unfortunate as this news is, this is likely the best path forward for both Randle and the Knicks. The last thing both sides need is for this injury to linger into the offseason and, at worst, into the start of next season. Randle taking care of it now and undergoing surgery now will likely give him the best opportunity to be healthy and ready to go by the start of the 2024-25 NBA campaign. Returning and then possibly re-injuring himself in the playoffs likely would've put all of that in jeopardy.

The New York Knicks' playoff hopes take a hit

Even though this is certainly the best path forward for both Randle and the Knicks in the long run, there's no question that this is certainly going to hurt the team's chances of making any type of noise in the playoffs.

If the Knicks were going to make a deep run in the postseason, it was likely going to be with a completely healthy roster. As the Knicks continue to wait on whether OG Anunoby will make his return or not, as he continues to recover from an elbow injury, it's official that this team is going to be missing a big piece of its offensive heading into the postseason.

If Anunoby isn't able to return either, the Knicks will also be missing a big piece of their defense. That's only going to lead to a much more difficult path for the Knicks as they attempt to accomplish their pre-season goals.

All in all, it's been a rough last couple of months for New York. It's a shame considering how bright the team's outlook appeared during the month of January.