One of the primary causes for concern for the New York Knicks heading into the 2024-25 NBA season is their fortitude at center. That’s what followers of the franchise would have deduced from reports and projections that have surrounded the team this offseason prior to their trade to acquire superstar Karl-Anthony Towns.
Behind Towns, however, is center Mitchell Robinson, who will be immense next year. Robinson was formerly projected to be the team’s starting big but will now take on a bench role behind Towns. However, something other than his play may be the only thing that will hinder Robinson from being the anchor that the Knicks need him to be through and through.
Mitchell Robinson’s rebounding will be a major boost to the second unit
Robinson is approaching his seventh season in the league. Thus far, he’s established himself as a pro. The Knicks know what they’re going to get from the 7-0, 240-pound big man, be it elite rim protection, steadiness in the pick-and-roll, and high efficiency from the field.
Robinson took the next step as a rebounder in 2023-24, where he averaged 4.6 offensive rebounds per contest, which would have officially led the league had he played in enough games. Impressively, the former second-round pick showcased a superior second jump that allowed him to beat his men to the ball off of misses.
It’s that kind of energy that Robinson showed in the mere 31 regular season games he suited up for last season that will go a long way for New York next time out. The question is, will his body hold up and allow him to replicate that in 2024-25?
Can the Knicks expect Robinson to stay healthy next season?
The record shows that Robinson is alarmingly prone to injury. Only once has the 26-year-old seen north of 70 games in a season, which came back in 2021-22 when he suited up for 72 contests.
Further, Robinson has yet to log 30 or more minutes a night in his career. Thus, his workload has always been kept at a conservative level, and the time he has missed has added up for the Knicks. The addition of Towns to the starting five should help lessen Robinson’s workload, which could help him stay healthy for the entirety of the season.
Nonetheless, Robinson may still be asked to carry his heaviest workload in 2024-25, due to a shortage of true five men on the team’s roster even with the addition of Towns and because of the invaluable elements he adds to their rotation on both ends of the court.
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What can the Knicks expect from Robinson next year?
The Knicks can expect consistency from Robinson next season. Robinson’s rebounding percentage has been exactly that throughout his Knicks tenure. It has ranged between 17.5 and 20 percent each season. Albeit, his offensive rebounding percentage, which led the league in 2022-23 at 18.4 percent and rose to a career-high 20.7 percent last season, could see another considerable climb next time around. Further, that clip has increased by roughly two percent each year for the last four NBA campaigns, and there’s no indication that such a trajectory won’t continue.
However, Robinson’s block percentage has seen a dip at nearly the same rate that his offensive rebounding percentage has ascended, going from 10 percent in his rookie campaign which saw him send back 2.4 shots per contest, all the way down to 4.3 percent last time out, where he rejected 1.1 field goal attempts a night.
Without featured center Isaiah Hartenstein in the backup rotation to shoulder some of the load at center, the Knicks may look to play the Florida native more minutes on the upcoming campaign.
Outside of Jericho Sims, the Knicks do not have another gargantuan backup center that can match up ideally on defense with star centers in the East like 7-0 former MVP Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Kristaps Porzingis (Boston Celtics) or Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks).
New York will essentially need Robinson to do what he did last season, while reverting back to the type of rim protection that earned him his name to start his career. If he can contend for the league lead in any rebounding category, make the rim a dread for slashers to find looks at, and do his job to perfection alongside All-Star Jalen Brunson in the pick-and-roll, both as a rim-runner and space-creator for their standout point guard, he will effectively check all of the boxes needed from him on both ends of the floor.
The Knicks’ upcoming season could hang on Robinson’s productivity
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau made it clear last season that he wanted Robinson to do the dirty work in the interior, play with energy, and excel on defense. None of those have seemed, nor seem like they will be a problem for the former 2019 All-Rookie Second Team honoree to embrace next time out. Doing so will service a Knicks team that, on paper, looks to be much stronger offensively and defensively, namely coming by way of their offseason acquisition Mikal Bridges.
He won’t be required to put up 20-plus points per game like Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns or Bridges will, but Robinson may end up being the most important piece to the Knicks’ championship puzzle next time out.
