A frustrating season for Mitchell Robinson is over. On Tuesday, the New York Knicks announced that Robinson sustained a stress fracture to his left ankle, the same ankle he had surgery on early in the regular season which caused him to miss 49 games, and will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks, effectively ending his season.
Mitchell Robinson played through discomfort in the first-round series versus the 76ers
Robinson re-injured the surgically repaired ankle during Game 3 of the Knicks first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers logging just 12 minutes in the 125-114 loss. The injury was significant enough to keep him out of Game 4, which the Knicks won 97-92. Robinson would return for Game 5 and finish out the remainder of the Knicks’ 4-2 series win to advance to the second round.
Robinson has been ruled out ahead of Game 2 versus the Pacers
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Robinson scored just two points and grabbed two rebounds in 12 minutes of action in New York’s thrilling 121-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The next day, the Knicks would rule out Robinson ahead of Wednesday’s Game 2 matchup with “injury management.” A little over two hours later, the Knicks would announce that Robinson’s season was over.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, tests done on Robinson’s ankle found that he won’t need surgery again, meaning the 7-footer will instead rehab his injury for the next 6-8 weeks. The injury serves as a big blow not only to Robinson but also to the Knicks, as they are already without Julius Randle (shoulder) and Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist, ankle) for the remainder of the season, further testing the team’s depth.
7-foot Big Man vehemently expresses frustration with injury news
Following the news, the 26-year-old Robinson took to X (h/t Fred Katz of The Athletic) to express his frustration. One tweet read, “This is so f—d up dawg like I don’t even know what to say right now !” Another reading, “This is not over ! I WILL SEEK REVENGE.”
The injury follows an unfortunate pattern that has hindered Robinson throughout his six-year NBA career. Various injuries have kept the big man out for extended periods of time in virtually every season of his career. Robinson has played less than 61 games in three of his six NBA seasons and played just 31 games (21 starts) this past season.
How will the Knicks fill the void left by Robinson?
With the Knicks rotation continuing to get thinner, Precious Achiuwa will likely step into Robinson’s role as the team’s backup center for the remainder of New York’s playoff run. Achiuwa will have big shoes to fill, as Robinson served as one of the Knicks’ most impactful defenders.
The Knicks will continue their quest for an NBA championship on Wednesday as the Knicks take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 against the Pacers. How the Knicks fill Robinson’s void remains to be seen, and filling it effectively will be instrumental if the Knicks wish to go far in the NBA playoffs.