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The team announced on Thursday, Dec. 30 that Randle had been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and will be unavailable for the following two games.
Under updated league COVID-19 rules, vaccinated players who test positive for the virus will be permitted to return within six days of entering the protocol as long as they remain asymptomatic.
The 27-year-old Randle could potentially be back for the Friday, Jan. 6 game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
The latest positive test comes on the heels of Wayne Selden, Jericho Sims, and Nerlens Noel all entering the protocol, leaving the Knicks with a depleted bench for the next several days after the team had won three in a row.
A first-time All-Star last season, Randle set career highs in scoring (24.1 per game), rebounding (10.2), assists (6.0), and three-point percentage (41.1) while leading the Knicks to the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s number four seed, where they fell in five games to the Atlanta Hawks.
This season has not been as kind to the Knicks, who are off to a 17-18 start, placing them ninth in the conference, or Randle, who has struggled after his breakout campaign in the 2020-21 season and was recently benched in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With Randle sidelined, the Knicks are expected to turn to point guard Kemba Walker, and combo guard/forwards RJ Barrett and Evan Fournier.
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