Per the NY Post:
As he struggled through the opening week-plus of the season, Julius Randle had been battling through ankle pain and, as a player committed to availability, resisted attempts from the Knicks to get him to rest, multiple sources told The Post.
Randle, who underwent arthroscopic ankle surgery in the offseason, was operating at about “70 percent,” a source said.
And through the opening six games — while limited by that pain — Randle was among the league’s least efficient players with a notable drop-off in his explosiveness.
