The New York Knicks have started the season with an incredibly thin rotation. Despite all five starters being healthy through the first seven games of the season, they are missing several key bench pieces, most notably seven-foot center Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks are feeling the absence of Mitchell Robinson
Robinson is still recovering from ankle surgery he underwent in the offseason, which is expected to keep him off the court until at least 2025 (h/t ESPN’s Shams Charania). Last season, he missed 51 games with a previous injury to the same ankle that was re-aggravated during the postseason.
The lengthy absence resulted in the league-shifting trade that saw Karl-Anthony Towns come to the Big Apple. However, they are still greatly missing Robinson’s interior presence, as they are being gashed on the glass so far this season.
Perhaps the best example of his absence being felt so largely was Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks won the overall rebound battle 48-41 and snagged 16 offensive rebounds. Those extra opportunities prevented the Knicks from grabbing a big lead and containing the Hawks’ offensive attack.
New York also allowed 58 points in the paint against Atlanta, which followed a performance in which they allowed 62 points in the paint to the Houston Rockets. The Knicks ended up losing both games as a result of the inadequate defensive effort.
Robinson would solve a lot of problems for the Knicks
Having Robinson back would solve both of those problems for New York. Last season, Robinson was tied with Clint Capela for the most offensive rebounds per game in the NBA with 4.6 despite playing in only 31 games. In the 2022-23 season, where Robinson played 59 games, he ranked second in offensive rebounds per game at 4.5, trailing only Steven Adams.
In addition, Robinson is one of the game’s best shot blockers underneath the rim. Last season, he averaged 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in the games he played, and was on an All-Defense trajectory before suffering his first ankle injury.
The offensive rebounds he would get led to more second-chance opportunities for the Knicks, and his impact was felt largely on both sides of the ball. In the 2022-23 season, New York ranked third in second chance points per game with 16.2 and first in opponent points in the paint allowed per game with 45.9.
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The Knicks can be flexible when figuring out Robinson’s role
With Towns in the mix, it is likely that Robinson will initially come off the bench upon his return. There is also the idea of starting him at the five and moving Towns to the four to add more size to the starting lineup, though it is still unclear what his role will look like when he makes his return.
During last year’s playoffs, New York had Robinson come off the bench while Isaiah Hartenstein continued to start. Robinson proved to be impactful in that role, as he did a solid job defending Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid during the first round.
Regardless of the role he is in, the Knicks need him back on the court as soon as possible, as his presence alone gives them more depth and substantially raises their ceiling as a title contender this year.
