Robin Lopez may not be the star New York wanted, but he’s quietly thriving for the Knicks.
When the New York Knicks struck out on marquee big men free agents such as LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, the discontent within the home fan base was evident. Not to be deterred, team president Phil Jackson managed to deliver a solid consolation prize in the form of former Stanford Cardinal center Robin Lopez.
While he may not represent a particularly sexy free agency capture, the fact of the matter is Lopez is an extremely useful player. By providing intangibles that many bigger names fail to produce, he is part of a rare breed of NBA big men who make their teams better while garnering minimal amounts of spotlight.
This has been well proven in his first year in New York.
He may not inspire the plaudits that his fellow front-court members Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis receive, but Lopez is quietly putting together a quality season for the Knicks.
Offensively, he represents a solid and reliable complementary option. His post game may resemble a bull in a china shop, yet behind a reliable, nearly unblockable hook shot, Lopez leads the Knicks in field goal percentage at .548—not counting 10-day signings Jimmer Fredette and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
Additionally, his average of 10.2 points per game outweighs his career average by a nearly a full 2.0 points. With a large portion of his scoring coming from cleaning up his teammates’ messes, he takes little to no shots away from more seasoned offensive players such as Anthony and Porzingis.
He can even drain a midrange jumper if need be—a fact that surprised numerous Knicks fans when he first began donning the blue and orange. His main strongpoints may lie on the opposite end of the court, but Lopez’s offensive contributions have far exceeded expectations this season.
While he has contributed positively in numerous facets of the game, by far his most effective output has been his rebounding. While his rebounds per game tally lies at 7.2—a solid, if not slightly modest sum for a starting NBA center—his influence on the boards far transcends statistics.
For starters, one of Lopez’s most useful rebounding traits is his scrappiness. From his penchant for snagging nearly impossible boards through traffic, to his innate ability to box out opposing bigs and allow his teammates to snag excess rebounds, Lopez provides the intangibles on the glass that few other centers can.
The same goes for his defensive contributions. He may not resemble a superhuman rim protector such as Hassan Whiteside or Andre Drummond, but he certainly brings his fair share to the table. In numerous defensive categories, the Knicks are simply better with “RoLo” on the floor.
In nearly all defensive on/0ff statistics, New York boasts a superior tally while Lopez is on. This includes the Knicks’ rebounding percentage (52.0 when he’s on the floor and 47.4 when he’s on the bench), block percentage (9.4 when he’s on, 8.2 when he’s off), and opponent’s rebounding percentage (48.0 when he’s on, 52.6 when he’s off).
Simply put, the Knicks play better defense when Robin Lopez is on the court.
It may be in ways that aren’t always evident to the naked eye, but that shouldn’t discount the multitudes of positive contributions he provides.
When the Knicks signed Lopez, some predicted that over the course of the season, the Madison Square Garden faithful would begin to oversee his positives. And who can blame them? As a fan-base starving for star power, a player whose contributions often have to be unearthed through statistics will never render the same excitement as a player who’s lighting up opponents on national television.
However, this shouldn’t detract from his excellent performances this season.
Should the Knicks manage to build a credible team in the near future, a large part of the credit will likely be placed on the burly, unappreciated shoulders of Robin Lopez.