It took just 16 minutes for Mitchell Robinson to send the Knicks a powerful message

Amid all the injury management and general uncertainty, through all the offensive limitations and question marks, the New York Knicks still need Mitchell Robinson to reach the peak of their powers. And he just showed them why.

In just over 16 minutes of action against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Robinson put up eight points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. What’s more, nine of his 10 boards came on the offensive end. That is truly absurd when you consider how few minutes he played. 

Which is fitting. Because “absurd” perfectly encapsulates Robinson’s ability to make an impact despite scattershot availability and smaller workloads.

Mitchell Robinson gives the Knicks a mesmerizing curveball

For all the talk about playing faster, taking more threes, and catering to five-out lineups, there is value in New York deploying a non-shooting center who punishes opponents on the glass, deters shots in the paint, and sets screens that actually connect. That is what Robinson does.

The Knicks grabbed 56.5 percent of its own misses against the Wolves with him on the floor, according to Pivot Fade. Playing opposite Rudy Gobert didn’t change anything. The team corralled 50 percent of their own misses with Robinson in the game during the Gobert minutes.

Nine offensive boards is flat-out ridiculous on its face. It’s positively gaga in 16 minutes of action. Here is everyone on record to snare at least nine offensive rebounds while logging under 17 minutes: 

• Kevon Looney (November 2024)
• Andre Drummond (December 2023)
• Enes Freedom (April 2021)
• Scott Williams (December 2001)
• Will Purdue (March 1991)

Just so we’re clear: Robinson’s dominance on the offensive glass isn’t a one-off. It’s tried-and-true. Even this season, in the face of limited availability, the Knicks’ offensive rebounding rate improves by roughly 10 percentage points with him on the court. For the year, they are actually securing a board on 50 percent of their own missed above-the-break threes when he plays. 

It doesn’t end on the glass, either. Robinson isn’t someone players want to challenge inside the arc. The Wolves shot 3-of-12 on twos—twos!—with him in the game. Not surprisingly, rival offenses are faring much worse scoring at the rim and from floater range this season when he’s on the floor.

This is why the Knicks still have Mitchell Robinson

It’s easy to get frustrated with Robinson. Especially now. The Knicks will always need to manage his workload, and his ankles. He’s also headed for free agency this summer, which forces New York to make an impossible decision on how much it can invest, if at all, in his risk-reward profile.

Putting up with these issues and ambiguities is a lot more palatable when Robinson’s making under $13 million. It’s a different ballgame when you’re talking about a prospective raise, and a contract that could usher him into his 30s.

It’s all enough to assume the Knicks will move his expiring contract by the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Their roster is not as deep as they anticipated, at least so far. They could use more dependability.

And yet, New York can’t afford for any changes to come at the expense of Robinson. The ceiling on his play exceeds that of anyone it would get in return. 

What the Knicks have in Robinson is an All-Defense-caliber anchor who gobbles up offensive rebounds as well as anyone in the league. Even if he misses half their regular-season games, even if he can never play both ends of back-to-backs, even if stretching him past 20 minutes of court time is considered risky, they need him.