What Mitchell Robinson’s return means for Knicks

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Mitchell Robinson made his season debut in New York’s 114-113 win over Memphis on Friday night, after missing the Knicks’ first 58 games recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Despite the long layoff, the Knicks immediately felt his impact, an early validation of the optimism surrounding his return.

Robinson guarded two pick-and-rolls in his first seconds back on the court, displaying a level of positioning and deterrence the Knicks lacked from their center position this year. After shutting down a Desmond Bane attempt, he then spooked Ja Morant into passing out of another using the threat of his length and footwork.

He finished the game with six points, five rebounds and a team-high plus-11, a small taste of what fans and personnel are hoping from him down the stretch. Robinson is one of the best defensive centers in the league when healthy, and his addition to this Knicks rotation may be the spark it needs to reach the next level.

Under Tom Thibodeau, New York has normally been a stalwart defensively, but they rank 21st this season and have slipped in recent weeks. A large part of that has been a dearth of rim prevention from the center position, being reliant on capable but flawed options.

Karl-Anthony Towns can lock into some terrific performances, but is often foul-happy and not a feared presence around the rim. Precious Achiuwa is most effective against smaller or softer lineups. Jericho Sims was traded and Ariel Hukporti suffered a meniscus injury.

There could be larger scheme adjustments made to better maximize this group of talent, but Thibodeau has a preferred system, and it relies on strong rim protection and elite drop coverage in pick-and-rolls. Robinson is on the shortlist of players you’d want for those skills.

Last we saw him, Robinson was shutting down reigning MVP Joel Embiid in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Robinson averaged 5.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes in that series, holding Embiid to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and forcing nine turnovers on him when matched up.

Robinson also led the league in offensive rebounding rate in the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/mitchell-robinsons-return-means-knicks-150042693.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2025-03-01 15:00:00

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