The New York Knicks will be without center Mitchell Robinson for a while, as ESPN’s Shams Charania said on First Take Thursday that Robinson’s recovery from offseason ankle surgery will keep him out until at least 2025.
Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson’s return will have to wait until 2025
“I’m told that he will be out for the remainder of this calendar year,” Charania said. “He had two ankle surgeries last season, it is imperative for him to come back in peak form.”
As Charania noted, Robinson missed a huge chunk of last season after undergoing two surgeries on the same ankle just months apart. He suffered the first one in early December and missed the following three months before returning for the stretch run and the postseason. Robinson then would re-injure that ankle during the first round of the playoffs, which would eventually take him out for virtually all of the second round after needing a second surgery.
The injury to Robinson was a “driving factor” in acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves last week, per head coach Tom Thibodeau (h/t SNY). Before the Towns trade, New York was left with no true centers in the rotation, so it became a much more urgent need for them than it already was after Isaiah Hartenstein left in free agency for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Knicks need Robinson to be at full strength when he returns
The Knicks will still put Robinson to good use upon his return, as they will have the flexibility to either put him back in the starting five and move Towns to the four or simply have Robinson come off the bench as their backup center.
Robinson is one of the game’s elite shot blockers and offensive rebounders. Two seasons ago, when Robinson played in 59 games, the Knicks were third in the NBA in second-chance points with 16.2 per game. For his career, Robinson averages 1.9 blocks and 3.7 offensive rebounds, and he averaged more offensive rebounds (4.6) than defensive (3.9) last season.
Until he can return, Precious Achiuwa will likely get the bulk of the backup center minutes behind Towns. Rookie center Ariel Hukporti and fourth-year big man Jericho Sims also serve as depth at the position for the foreseeable future.