NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
The Knicks’ decision to re-sign Precious Achiuwa to a one-year, $6 million deal this past week set the club’s roster and rotation going into the 2024-25 season.
Mitchell Robinson will be the Knicks’ starter at center for the fifth straight year, and he faces a significant amount of pressure. Robinson hasn’t been able to stay on the floor, missing 125 games the last four seasons. The six-year veteran was out for seven playoff games this year.
It’s a concern for a Knicks team with championship hopes. If Robinson suffers another long-term injury, the Knicks have very little to replace him in Achiuwa and third-string center Jericho Sims. The Knicks no longer have Isaiah Hartenstein to fill in, as he’d done the past two seasons.
Robinson’s inability to stay on the floor opened up an opportunity for his understudy Hartenstein to thrive as a starter. As the Knicks tried to re-sign Hartenstein, Robinson’s name came up in trade talks. The Knicks will miss Hartenstein for depth reasons, but also because he had evolved into a well-rounded offensive contributor. Hartenstein was a great playmaker out of the short roll. He eased the pressure that star Jalen Brunson was facing when defenses went to traps and double teams. Hartenstein also had developed a nifty floater in the lane.
Robinson can’t do what Hartenstein does on offense, but when he is healthy, he offers a unique combination of athleticism and physical ability that is hard to replicate. Robinson is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the NBA. Teams often have to game plan to keep the seven-footer off the offensive glass.
Defensively, he is one of the most intimidating centers in the paint, racking up deflections and limiting shots. Though his block numbers have dropped off, Robinson has actually become a more fearsome defender, and he fouls less often than earlier in his career. Robinson’s 7-foot-4 wingspan creates problems for teams. It was notable in the first round of the 2023-24 playoffs with how well the 26-year old defended Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid individually.
Robinson does have his weaknesses, though. He has little impact on…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-mitchell-robinson-could-x-140009055.html
Author : SNY
Publish date : 2024-08-05 14:00:09
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
