New York Knicks: Player grades through first 1/4 of the season
By Adam Kester
New York Knicks Player Grades: Mitchell Robinson — B-
It’s a little tricky to figure out a player grade for the New York Knicks center.
In terms of Mitchell Robinson’s long-term outlook with the team, which has been something of a constant discussion, it feels as though he’s always just keeping his head above water while almost drowning.
I don’t think anyone doubts that Mitchell Robinson can be a great rim-running center. He has the size, athleticism, and experience to wreak havoc in the paint.
Fans have maybe been a bit unfair in their expectations for Robinson to take some sort of a jump as a threat on offense — whether it’s adding some post moves or becoming a better passer.
However, the realistic jump for Robinson to take would simply be consistency in his current role. I believed in the preseason that Robinson had a legitimate shot to average a double-double.
He has not quite lived up to that prediction. Robinson has posted averages of 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game this season.
Robinson has played plenty of games, but it feels like every other game he has to leave or get checked on by trainers for obscure injuries.
He can match up with some big-time centers but the consistency is just not there yet. There’s still plenty of lapses throughout any given game, but there are also stretches where Robinson looks like a dominant physical center. The jury is still out on what his value is.