NBA rumors: Julius Randle's injury return could be a lot quicker than expected

When Julius Randle injured his shoulder, it seemed like the New York Knicks would be without their All-Star power forward for the rest of the regular season. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, it seems like Randle's return will be "measured in weeks and not months". While this report does not indicate that the veteran will be back anytime soon, it does say that the team will be able to get him back well before the playoffs start.

New York is one of the hottest teams on this side of the new calendar year. The franchise has only lost two games in 2024 with only two more games upcoming in January. The squad has flourished since trading for OG Anunoby.

But the Knicks are running out of frontcourt veterans to play as the team deals with a lot of injuries at the power and center spot. With this in mind, how can New York keep their hot start to the new year with the injuries they are facing?

How can the Knicks keep their hot start with Randle and others out?

In all reality, no veteran or young guy can help fill the void that is left as Randle recovers from injury. This is a franchise that has been bitten by the injury bug and will need to go to a smaller lineup going forward if they want to continue their hot start. New York will likely have to move Anunoby to the 4 spot and have Josh Hart come in at the 3 spot.

This would make the Knicks extremely small and would make Isaiah Hartenstein's return to the lineup (played 16 minutes against the Heat after being out with injury) extremely important. The franchise would be relying on the journeyman to be a commanding presence on the boards. This injury bug is also a great opportunity for Precious Achiuwa to contribute to the squad.

Achiuwa hasn't really done much in his NBA career so far and these upcoming games could be film for him to show teams this offseason. The young big is a restricted free agent this summer and will need to bring his play up if he wants big offers to roll in. No matter what ends up happening, New York will likely get Randle back before March hits. That is a major win for the franchise.