Mitchell Robinson’s major flaw is reason for Isaiah Hartenstein’s increased Knicks role

The New York Knicks sit at 3-3 on the season and are on a two-game losing streak after traveling to Milwaukee and Cleveland. The Knicks are amid a tough stretch of games and have a couple of days off before hosting Trae Young and the Hawks. Hopefully, New York’s able to make some adjustments before then (perimeter defense, maybe?).

Through six games, Knicks backup center Isaiah Hartenstein (160 minutes) has played more than starting center Mitchell Robinson (144 minutes). Hartenstein’s proven to be a solid free agency signing thus far, but part of the reason for that is because Robinson’s been wrapped up in foul trouble early on. One of Robinson’s weaknesses is fouling, so it’s not a good sign that it’s something that he’s already struggling with early on in the season.

In New York’s 119-108 loss to Milwaukee on Friday, Robinson had five points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and five fouls in 20 minutes. He picked up his third foul in the second quarter, which led to Hartenstein finishing with six points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and three fouls in 28 minutes.

Hartenstein’s more of an offensive threat than Robinson. He’s able to knock down threes, although he isn’t exactly a threat from deep, as he’s shot 12.5% from deep in six games. However, Hartenstein’s floater game is phenomenal.

But there’s one thing about Hartenstein spending more time on the court than Robinson that has hurt the Knicks, and it’s his impact on the boards.

Knicks can’t afford for Mitchell Robinson to struggle with weak foul calls

Not only was New York tasked with trying to find a way to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo on both ends of the court, but with Mitch out of the game, the Knicks allowed Bobby Portis to finish with eight offensive rebounds. Antetokounmpo had 14 rebounds, Portis had 12, and Brook Lopez had 11.

Hartenstein isn’t the rebounder that Robinson is, and that was especially evident against the Bucks. There was zero boxing out. New York’s rebounding woes led to many fans calling for Jericho Sims to enter the game, but he played for less than a full minute. The Knicks managed to only lose by 11, and it certainly wasn’t solely because of their rebounding, but it was still a disappointing performance.

Unfortunately, on Sunday against the Cavaliers, Robinson once again found himself in foul trouble. He had four points, seven rebounds, and five fouls in 21 minutes, while Hartenstein finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, one block, and three fouls in 27 minutes. New York outrebounded Cleveland, 45-43, but the game was yet another example of Mitch picking up weak foul calls.

The Knicks didn’t have an answer for Donovan Mitchell, who played lights out and finished with a game-high 38 points. New York got crushed by its lack of perimeter defense, which resulted in Cleveland shooting 23-for-50 from deep. Mitchell, Dean Wade, and Kevin Love combined for 22 of those threes. It’s hard to win a game when you fail to guard the three.

Looking ahead, New York will need Robinson against Clint Capela, Joel Embiid, and Al Horford. The bottom line is that he needs to be smarter with the fouls that he commits. It’s hard to be one of the best offensive rebounders in the game if you’re not out on the floor.

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