Julius Randle is good to go and will be activated to start by the New York Knicks on their first-round series opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers this Saturday, the club announced in its press release.
There were initial reports already that Randle will indeed target a return for the Knicks against the Cavs. Randle has been making gradual progress and recovery since sustaining a sprained left ankle which costed him to miss the final two weeks of the regular season, starting on Mar. 29 in a matchup against the Miami Heat.
According to ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth, the Knicks won’t apply minute restriction on the star big man, but they will monitor his conditioning throughout the match.
Randle’s return can’t be more gratifying for New York as they are set to face the twin towers of Cleveland in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. His offensive punch will also be needed with Jalen Brunson providing his own to match up All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell’s outburst.
Randle, 28, averaged a career-high 25.1 points per game along with 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists over 77 games this 2022-23 season.
