As Mike Brown and his staff decide who the opening night starters will be, one thing they can't ignore is Mitchell Robinson's extensive injury history. If they do decide to start Robinson, he shouldn't play in back-to-back games, which could provide second-year big man Ariel Hukporti with the opportunity to get some valuable minutes.
Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns will all be starters. The question is who will occupy that final slot. Currently, it seems to be a three-man race between Robinson, Josh Hart, and Miles McBride.
All three of them have unique skillsets and would give the starting lineup a different look. Robinson greatly improves any lineup's defense and rebounding, Hart does all the dirty work and improves the pace of play, while McBride is a great point-of-attack defender and would give the Knicks the best spacing out of the three options.
Brown can't ignore Robinson's injury history
If Brown and his staff ultimately give the nod to Robinson, which many believe he should, he has to be careful not to overextend him.
Robinson is coming into camp fully healthy and has admitted that he shed some weight in the offseason. Clearly, that is great news, but what is more important is finding a way to get to the playoffs while he is still healthy. Robinson showed how important he is to this team in the playoffs last season. If they are going to win a championship, they need him in one piece.
To achieve that, Brown should limit Robinson's minutes as much as possible, and especially avoid playing him in back-to-back games, something that could open up the door for Hukporti to not just get minutes, but get valuable minutes.
Hukporti could get the opportunity to play valuable minutes
In his rookie season, Hukporti played sparingly, as was the case with all of the Knicks' first-year players. The German big man averaged 1.9 points, 2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 0.6 blocks across 25 games. He only appeared in 48 total minutes, most of them coming in garbage time, so it is hard to look too deeply into his production.
That said, he did show some intriguing qualities. He has been mimicking his game after Robinson, which is a good thing for Knicks fans. He also has shown the ability to be a solid passer for the position, which could catch the eye of Mike Brown, who has been known to take a liking to playmaking bigs.