What does Mitchell Robinson’s injury mean for Knicks’ starting center job?
The New York Knicks were without Mitchell Robinson in the second half of Friday’s win over the Sixers after the center injured his knee in the first half. Robinson’s injury led to Tom Thibodeau trying out a Julius Randle-Obi Toppin lineup that ultimately helped New York secure a win over a Philadelphia team without Joel Embiid.
Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Celtics, it was reported that Robinson would be out for 7-10 days with a sprained right knee. That means that the Knicks will likely be without Robinson for games against the Timberwolves, Nets, Pistons, and maybe even the Thunder.
Isaiah Hartenstein replaced Robinson as a starter against Boston, which is something that some fans wanted to see happen even before Robinson sprained his knee. In his first start in New York, Hartenstein posted 10 points (5-for-6) and 14 rebounds in 38 minutes.
Playing increased minutes without Robinson isn’t something that Hartenstein will need to get used to. With Robinson getting in foul trouble this season, Hartenstein spent more time on the court than Robinson before his injury. And now, he’ll continue to have a high workload in Robinson’s absence.
Mitchell Robinson is out for the Knicks with a sprained right knee
Mitchell Robinson’s struggled with injuries in the past, but last season, he played a career-high 72 games. As a free agent over the summer, there were questions about where he’d end up, but the Knicks re-signed him to a four-year, $60 million contract. With the exception of his foul trouble, Robinson was off to a solid start to the season with his defense and rebounding.
However, the thing with Isaiah Hartenstein is that he’s more of an offensive threat than Robinson. After the Knicks signed Hartenstein in free agency, fans were hopeful about his three-point shot after he shot 46.7% from the three-point line with the Clippers last season, but that was on a total of 14 made threes. To start the year, he’s shooting 18.2% from deep.
Hartenstein isn’t a three-point threat, but he can knock down shots outside of the paint. His floater is lethal. Robinson can’t match Hartenstein’s production on the offensive end, and that doesn’t seem to be something that’s going to change.
However, New York needs Robinson’s interior presence. As Tom Thibodeau said, he’s the best offensive rebounder in the league. In the loss to the Bucks, we saw how Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez dominated the boards with Robinson spending more time on the bench than Hartenstein.
With the Knicks in Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Monday, a true test for Hartenstein would’ve been going up against three-time DPOY Rudy Gobert. But with Gobert in the health and safety protocols, that means that both teams will be without their starting centers. Hartenstein will be tasked with containing Karl-Anthony Towns, who will be back to operating in the post. Let’s see what Hartenstein can do.
Hopefully, New York will only be without Mitchell Robinson for the next three or four games. Even with his foul trouble being a concern, this season has the potential to be Mitch’s best.
