The much-anticipated Julius Randle Timberwolves debut and New York Knicks reunion at Madison Square Garden this Sunday will be put on hold. The forward has yet to make his preseason debut. In a week where Timberwolves' star Anthony Edwards made headlines for his take on Jayson Tatum in Netflix's new NBA documentary “Starting 5,” Randle, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in April, is close to returning.

Still, it won't be this weekend, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

“I'm told that Julius Randle is not expected to make his Minnesota Timberwolves preseason unofficial debut, but the hope and likelihood is that Randle will be debuting at some point next week,” Charania said, per NBA on ESPN's X, formerly Twitter, post. “The Timberwolves have two preseason games before the regular season gets underway.”

Randle has spent the past week rebuilding his strength. The Timberwolves hope their new power forward will be able to compete alongside his teammates in one of the last two preseason outings.

“The last week or so of Julius Randle's training camp has been really about strengthening that shoulder and making sure from an organization perspective, and Julius Randle, himself, that he feels right,” Charania added. “He feels 100 percent as far as his wind and conditioning go before stepping on that floor. But he has been working out. He's been putting in work today and yesterday, and he's been fitting in well by all accounts.”

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Julius Randle's health still in question after blockbuster trade

NBA Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Question marks surround Julius Randle's health after the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves' blockbuster trade. While the Timberwolves say Randle is close to fully recovering, the three-time All-Star hasn't participated in any basketball activities.

After facing the Knicks on Sunday, the Timberwolves will conclude their preseason schedule with back-to-back matchups against the Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets starting next Wednesday.