The New York Knicks have been a bit of an oddity this season. The Knicks have a very good record at 38-20 and are comfortably in third place in the Eastern Conference, but they have a terrible record against the top teams in the NBA.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder have blown the Knicks out in just about every meeting this year, leaving fans skeptical of New York’s chances to actually compete for a championship. Knicks fans are hoping that the addition of center Mitchell Robinson will help make up that gap as he returns from ankle surgery to make his season debut.
Robinson took the floor for the Knicks on Friday night for the first time this season as New York takes on the Memphis Grizzlies.
Mitchell Robinson checks in for the Knicks for the first time this season
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Robinson will have a chance to make his debut in front of the Knicks faithful at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night when the Golden State Warriors come to town for a blockbuster matchup. The Knicks also play in Miami against the Heat on Sunday.
Robinson’s shot blocking will be a big asset for the Knicks, who are currently lacking a rim protector in the middle to tie things together with their deep stable of wing stoppers. However, Tom Thibodeau has some tough decisions to make with his rotation regarding who is in the starting lineup.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been starting at center while Robinson has been out, so Thibodeau could either opt to start Robinson in place of Josh Hart and bump Towns down to the four or he could bring Robinson off the bench.
Robinson will obviously come in as a reserve until he is back in game shape and isn’t playing limited minutes, but Towns’ comfort with the move could be a big factor in the decision.
Towns has a lot of experience playing the four after spending multiple seasons starting alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota, but he has thrived with the extra spacing that he is granted as a five on the offensive end of the floor. Thibodeau is known as a defensive-minded coach, but would he sacrifice some production on offense for the rim protection that Robinson provides?
Regardless of his role on this Knicks team, there’s no doubt that Robinson can be a helpful piece of the rotation if he is healthy. The Knicks will be thrilled to have him back in the lineup after a long absence.
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