Mitchell Robinson will be Knicks’ big midseason acquisition

[ad_1]

The Knicks are 27-15, showing early signs of promise as a potential contender but not yet dominating like one. Unfortunately, as a second apron team, they’re largely stuck finding solutions internally, with extremely limited avenues to trade for or sign additional talent.

Some have suggested trading Mitchell Robinson, the longest tenured Knick on the roster, currently working his way back from ankle surgery and reportedly due to return in early February, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. He’s earning a large enough salary to net New York one or two depth pieces, and trading him wouldn’t disrupt the current rotation as he hasn’t played all season.

But coming off a serious recovery and with few assets to attach, the proposed returns in a Robinson trade fall short of impressive, and even of what Robinson can bring to the Knicks when fully healthy.

If New York really wants a big midseason upgrade, Robinson may be their best option.

Recall where Robinson was at last we saw him on the court. He was outperforming New York’s starting center in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid.

Robinson averaged 5.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 2.2 blocks per-36 minutes in that first round, holding Embiid to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and forcing nine turnovers on him when matched up. He also led the league in offensive rebounding rate in the postseason, despite playing through injury.

His impact led to the Knicks’ first-round victory, whereas trading him means hoping whoever comes in can have that kind of effect. When playing, Robinson is one of the league’s best offensive rebounders and big man defenders, and he’s shown development with each passing year, only turning 27 later this season.

Early last year it looked as if Robinson could put together a Defensive Player of the Year campaign before he got hurt. He rebounded a ridiculous 20 percent of his team’s misses when on the court, and cut down on his fouling dramatically, better utilizing his length in passing lanes.

It’s hard to compete with that package looking at the trade market through a Knicks scope. Not…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mitchell-robinson-knicks-big-midseason-142048645.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2025-01-17 14:20:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.