April is upon us, and that just means that the NBA playoffs is right on the horizon. Alas, year after year, it seems as though which team gets through the playoff gauntlet unscathed is the one that wins the Larry O'Brien trophy. To that end, the New York Knicks may have difficulties making their championship dreams a reality especially with a few of their key guys, among them star man Julius Randle, still out due to injury.

Randle has already missed two whole months (28 games) after sustaining a right shoulder dislocation in the Knicks' January 27 matchup against the Miami Heat. The initial report was that he'll be re-evaluated in two to three weeks following the injury, but it has already been nine weeks and the best report to come out in his injury recovery was that he already went through “light contact” practice.

Now, the latest update from Shams Charania of The Athletic casts an even bigger cloud of doubt over the idea of a potential return for Julius Randle later on in the Knicks' season.

“Julius Randle is a little bit more precarious. … He still hasn't done anything more than controlled contact. … For the Knicks, it's really a wait and see approach,” Charania said on FanDuel's Run It Back, via ClutchPoints Twitter (X).

This is certainly not Knicks fans will be hoping for. The playoffs begin on April 20, so Randle has 19 days left to recover from the serious shoulder injury he sustained, which, according to his recovery trajectory thus far, may not be enough. Josh Hart's latest comment about the matter doesn't bode too well for New York either.

Will the Knicks get a “pleasant surprise”?

Josh Hart caused a bit of an uproar among Knicks fans after he made some very pessimistic comments regarding the recoveries of Julius Randle and OG Anunoby from their respective injuries. Hart, following New York's heartbreaking 113-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, said that the Knicks must approach the journey ahead as if those two aren't coming back, and that on the chance that they do return, he'll be “pleasantly surprised”.

Hart is a professional when it comes to stirring the pot, so fans may have to take his words with a grain of salt. Perhaps the Knicks' swiss-army knife is simply rallying his teammates to do their best as they hold the fort, doing whatever they can to win basketball games despite the absence of two of their best players.

Whatever the case may be, it will definitely be a concern for the Knicks if they head into the playoffs at less than full strength. Julius Randle may have plenty of playoff stinkers on his resume, but he's still an All-Star forward who draws plenty of attention from defenses, making life easier for Jalen Brunson and company.

OG Anunoby, on the cusp of a return? 

OG Anunoby has been classified as day-to-day ever since he decided not to play through the elbow injury that clearly hampered his shot the last time he was out there on the court. The Knicks' big trade acquisition this season has already missed 25 games, and he might be in line to miss more.

But Anunoby, according to Charania, is closer to a return to the hardwood than Julius Randle, with the NBA insider saying that it's only a matter of time before the 26-year old 3 and D extraordinaire feels much better.