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 postseason despite playing through injury, and was on pace to do the same — at a historic rate — during the regular season. He was making an early bid for Defensive Player of the Year and was the starter ahead of Isaiah Hartenstein before going down with an injury.
A proven impact player in the playoffs wasn’t something the Knicks were going to find easily on the trade market. Betting on Robinson being their big midseason addition will pay huge dividends if he stays healthy for the postseason.
It may take Robinson some time to get his cardio and legs back after such a long recovery period, but games in May count way more than those in March. In the meantime, he can get accustomed to his new teammates, including the tantalizing proposition of sharing a frontcourt with Towns.
While Towns is a tremendous floor-spacer and defensive rebounder from the five, he’s shown individual and team success playing the four alongside a more traditional paint-bound center in Minnesota. Pairing him with Robinson could be the solution for the Knicks finding a happy medium of offensive firepower and defensive talent.
Robinson may not solve all the Knicks’ problems, but having him back in the rotation is a major game-changer. Last night’s big win is just the beginning of Robinson’s potential impact.
