Alexander Wilson
The New York Knicks just got the best possible version of a bad Mitchell Robinson update.
Robinson has undergone surgery on his broken right pinky finger, but he fully plans to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals next Wednesday while wearing a brace on his hand, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. After the original injury news came with no timetable, that matters a ton.
I still think the hand changes the Finals math, because you cannot slap a brace on Robinson and pretend everything is normal. But if the question was whether the Knicks would lose one of their most important frontcourt pieces before the biggest series this franchise has played in 27 years, this update at least gives them a real answer.
Robinson’s role is too specific to fake
Robinson is not a high-usage scorer, and that is exactly why some people will undersell this. His value comes from the ugly parts: offensive rebounds, rim protection, physical screening, lob pressure, and keeping possessions alive when the offense bogs down.
Those are hand-heavy responsibilities. Rebounding through contact, catching dump-offs, securing the ball in traffic, and finishing around bodies all become more complicated with a brace. That does not make him unplayable, but it does make his effectiveness worth watching from the opening minutes.
The Knicks need him because his rebounding is not easily replicated. Robinson has been one of the best offensive rebounders in the playoffs, and his ability to extend possessions is a major reason Mike Brown can survive stretches where the half-court offense gets sticky.
Game 1 still has a new variable
The NBA Finals begin next Wednesday, with the Knicks waiting for either Oklahoma City or San Antonio. That matchup matters, because Robinson’s workload could look very different depending on the opponent.
Against the Thunder, his ability to punish smaller lineups on the glass can slow the game down and give New York extra possessions. Against the Spurs, he becomes even more important physically because Victor Wembanyama changes every frontcourt possession, and the Knicks cannot ask Karl-Anthony Towns to handle all of that alone.
The timing still stinks. Robinson should be preparing for the Finals without a surgically repaired finger and a brace on his shooting hand, even if “shooting hand” is doing a little bit of heavy lifting with him.
Still, I would take this update every time over the alternative. The Knicks can plan around a limited Robinson. They can stagger minutes, monitor pain, and adjust how they use him. What they could not easily replace is Robinson missing the series entirely.
Now the question becomes how much of his usual force he can give them. If the brace lets him rebound, defend, and survive the physical parts of the matchup, the Knicks just dodged something that could have completely changed their Finals rotation.
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