Knicks Analysis: Just how big is Mitchell Robinson’s impact?

Mitchell Robinson should give the Knicks a big boost

You have to love how hard this Knicks team has competed lately. Essentially, the team has had two healthy guards on their roster: Immanuel Quickley and Frank Ntilikina. Even with The Brooklyn Nets missing Kevin Durant and the Philadelphia 76ers missing Joel Embiid, those teams have still been winning a lot of games, and the Knicks were painstakingly close to beating them both.

Defensive rebounding is typically a strong area for the Knicks. It’s yet another category where Mitchell Robinson is missed. The Knicks gave up the 4th fewest 2nd chance points in the league with Robinson in the lineup. Since he’s been gone? They’ve been 16th. He can absolutely dominate on the glass, and the attention he receives from opposing bigs has been directed elsewhere.

It’s these little things where Robinson’s skill set can be a direct result of a win or a loss. Shielding off opponents and allowing his teammates to grab more rebounds, exhausting opposing bigs, and being able to help out on just about any defensive assignment – He helps everyone on the roster succeed.

The Knicks’ current rotation of players has to be physically exhausted. As a result of the recent injuries, they’re all playing above their usual season averages of minutes. Mitchell Robinson will undoubtedly absorb a large chunk of minutes and ease the load for them.

The Knicks have been able to survive without Mitchell Robinson, but if they want to continue to make a big playoff push, they need their franchise center back and healthy. The team should be reenergized once he’s back in the lineup.