Where does Mitchell Robinson fit with Knicks after making his return?

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Mitchell Robinson saw his first NBA action in almost four months for the Knicks on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and swatting two shots in 12 minutes off the bench.

His return from an early December ankle injury was a welcome sight for Knicks fans, who watched New York compete for most of the season without their starting center.

Before going down, Robinson was in the middle of a career year. He was putting up historically great offensive rebounding numbers and displaying a new level of maturity and anticipation defensively that would have had him in Defensive Player of the Year talks if he stayed healthy.

Now he’s back at an opportune time to ramp back into game shape and complete the Knicks’ two-headed monster at the five spot as the playoffs creep closer. But his role going forward may look different than where he left off.

Robinson came off the bench in his return, and it’s possible he continues to even when he’s at full strength. The Knicks have started Isaiah Hartenstein for 40 games now, close to a majority of the season, and may want to avoid disrupting the chemistry he’s built with Jalen Brunson and the other starters.

Robinson may have been paired with Julius Randle for longer, but it was Hartenstein that rounded out the starting five during New York’s 14-2 record in January, and has had a major impact on keeping the Knicks afloat since their rash of injuries. The defensive potential of playing Robinson alongside OG Anunoby is tantalizing, but the offensive dynamics provided by Hartenstein may be the deciding factor.

Brunson has gotten postseason defensive treatment as the lone reliable creator on the Knicks since February, faced with bigger and longer defenders, with recent matchups blitzing every one of his pick-and-rolls and the weak side help pressure constantly collapsing on Brunson when he’s on the ball.

Hartenstein has served as an effective outlet despite being an extra non-shooter in the lineup, dominating out of the short roll with his passing and inside scoring.

Those are qualities Robinson hasn’t quite sharpened yet. You could…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/where-does-mitchell-robinson-fit-160000820.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-03-28 16:00:00

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