Post the All-Star weekend, The New York Knicks are looking to build up their momentum, aiming to maintain a strong front against their rivals. They are currently placed as the 4th seed in the Western Conference Points table, set to face off against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden in the next few hours, with the hope of putting an end to their three-game losing streak.

Given the high stakes that awaited the team, some of the Knicks fans were holding hope that the team’s power forward Julius Randle had recovered from his shoulder injury and is ready to return to the basketball court. A recent update by ESPN Journalist Tim Bontemps, however, might prove to be a disappointment for many.

The hosts of ‘The Hoop Collective’ provide an update on Julius Randle’s condition

During a conversation with Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on ‘The Hoop Collective’, Bontemps highlighted how there was no clear response from the Knicks on whether Randle would have to undergo surgery to fix his injury. Even head coach Tom Thibodeau couldn’t provide a clear statement and only said that “Julius is progressing, he’s looking good”.

“And then Julius to his credit, just sat there on Wednesday and talked to the media and said, Hey look, I can’t really know for sure how this is gonna go until I start contact and hitting people and seeing how this goes” said Bontemps during the segment, highlighting what the NBA player chose to tell to the media.

By taking Randle’s situation into account, Tim MacMahon recalled how shooting guard Jalen Brunson went through a similar situation and wasn’t ready to take his chances until the surgery occurred. “Jalen Brunson didn’t go to the bubble because he had shoulder surgery. And that was something where he came back and tried to play through it and then, finally it was just like, OK I’ve gotta get the operation because it never got right until…gotta get it fixed.” said MacMahon during the segment.

By analyzing the discussion of the ESPN hosts, one can conclude that it will be a long time before Julius Randle returns to the basketball court. This also means that the player will not be present during today’s game to take on Jayson Tatum and Co.

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Julius Randle had been a consistent presence for his team during the NBA regular season. Out of the 46 games in which he has appeared, the 29-year-old has managed to average 22 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5 assists. Randle’s continuous presence served the team well the until Knicks’ star ended up injuring his right shoulder during the final four minutes of a game against the Miami Heat.

Even after spending weeks in rehab, the player’s situation does not seem to be any better. Only time will be able to tell whether Randle will manage to return and help his team maintain their position in the tournament.