The New York Knicks brought in Bobby Portis to help add veteran quality and leadership to a team that relied heavily on its youth in 2018. It also injected another talented player into the frontcourt which ultimately could pose a threat to Mitchell Robinson, despite Portis knowing Robinsons is the preferred starter.
During his Knicks meetings June 30 in L.A., Portis was told that Robinson was starting center:
“Julius [Randle] and Mitchell will probably be starting power forward and center, but we have a lot of weapons coming off the bench that will be fun to watch,†Portis said. “I go out and play with a ton of passion and play the right way. In the number of minutes, 20 to 26, I can affect the game in a lot of positive ways.â€
While Portis seems to be slotted into a reserve role, he has the quality to start if need be. Crowding the frontcourt might not have been the most efficient thing, but it adds a particular factor to a Knicks team that struggled offensively last season.
Bobby is more of an offensive-minded player, as his defense is average on his best day. Robinson, on the other hand, has immense potential, and the Knicks need to be aware of that reality. He averaged 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game last season. After Kristaps Porzingis was traded, he racked up and impressive 9.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game in 24.5 minutes.
Having a veteran option like Portis not only to help when called upon but to act as a de-facto mentor for Robinson, will be extremely beneficial. The issue at hand, however, is the playing time allocations.
Is it possible that Portis steals essential playing time from Robinson, despite the positive influence he will undoubtedly have?
I anticipate the Knicks favoring Mitch heavily as they see what he’s capable of and the talent he brings to the floor. This is the time to go all out and allow the players to compete among each other for playing time, as year-two should see a substantial jump in overall quality.