NY Knicks: Why Mitchell Robinson is still an important part of the team

NY Knicks fans are forgetting that Mitchell Robinson is still an important part of the team, and I cannot let this go on.

As someone who has believed in Mitch’s potential since before the Knicks drafted him, I believe the Knicks should still keep the super athletic center on board for next season.

Robinson is now being mentioned in potential trades, including a few days ago being mentioned in a potential trade sending Mitch to the Hornets for the Hornets 2021 first-round pick.

Obviously, Mitch for a late lottery pick is a decent trade, but it makes a lot more sense to keep him, at least for next season.

Mitchell Robinson is still an integral part of the NY Knicks

Robinson being limited to only 31 games out of the possible 77, counting the playoffs, is the reason why people have forgotten about his impact.

The playoffs against the Knicks really showed it, as my DailyKnicks teammate Adam Kester mentioned a couple of weeks back.

I mentioned during the playoffs that the Knicks needed to neutralize Clint Capela, and Mitch was the guy to do that.

Unfortunately, he was injured, and Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson just were not athletic enough.

Though Mitch is not as strong as Caplea, he is probably the better athlete, has the rim protection and pick and roll defense to have slowed Clint down.

Let’s remember in his last full season, he had the highest PER on the Knicks with a 23.5. That same season he shot 74% from the field, the best in NBA history.

Before I say what I say, Nerlens Noel was terrific for us and outplayed expectations, and all Knicks fans should be grateful.

However, Mitchell Robinson is the best center in New York, the best shot blocker, the best in transition, the most efficient, and is cheaper than Noel.

Without a doubt, teams noticed how well Nerlens was able to play with the Knicks, and some team is bound to offer the impending free agent somewhere around 10 Million per year.

Now, I like Nerlens, but if you have a better version of the same player for 1.8 million dollars, Mitch is the obvious choice.

It is also important to remember that Robinson was hurt most of this season, and the Knicks saw Noel develop under Tom Thibodeau.

Robinson did not get his chance to be developed under Thibodeau, and Kenny Payne, who many NBA players agree is one of the best player development coaches in basketball (subscription needed).

The thought of trading Robinson is that his contract ends after this year, and he will ask for a good amount of money.

His potential is still very high, and if Payne and Thibodeau can mold him, it would probably be better off to keep a home-grown center who fits the Knicks’ defensive mindset.