NY Knicks: 3 goals Thibodeau should set for Mitchell Robinson
Help Mitchell Robinson develop a one-or-two dribble go-to move
During Tom Thibodeau’s coaching career, he’s been able to coach big men who are are adept with the basketball. Joakim Noah was, at one point, one of the best passing big men in the league during the Thibs era. Karl-Anthony Towns is also no slouch when it comes to having the ball in his hands.
Over the course of his first two years in the league, Mitch has had minimal contact with the basketball. When he does, it’s either to dunk the ball or block an opposing shot. Mitch rarely puts the ball on the floor unless there’s nobody guarding him nearby.
Related Story. Mitchell Robinson shows off his sick handle in workout. light
As the Knicks strive to build a competitive team, they’ll need to understand that opponents will begin to exploit Mitch’s lack of comfort with dribbling the basketball. This doesn’t mean that Mitch needs to be as deft as Nikola Jokic or even Julius Randle. He doesn’t need to have the passing abilities of Joakim Noah or even Kyle O’Quinn. However, the Knicks should entrust Mitch to perform some actions with the basketball.
A simple suggestion would be learning how to initiate a dribble hand-off (DHO) to get an open three. Sure, the Knicks could use more three-point shooters, but we’ve seen the effectiveness of DHOs in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Knicks CAA Files: Potential free agents. dark. Next
Another option is learning how to shoot from the post. A simple two dribble post up that leads to a hook shot can keep defenses honest. Any one of these options will do wonders in expanding Mitch’s offensive arsenal and forcing teams to respect his presence on the floor. As a result, this also opens up better opportunities for teammates to get easier drives to the paint or easier perimeter shots.