The New York Knicks didn't wait until the trade deadline to do something about their center position after Isaiah Hartenstein left in free agency. They signed Precious Achiuwa to a one-year deal a few weeks later, and fans thought he'd be Mitchell Robinson's backup. That was until Shams Charania reported that Robinson wouldn't return until December or January because of his ankle.
New York wasn't satisfied with Achiuwa and Jericho Sims at the five, so the front office made a move nobody saw coming. The Knicks sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. It took days before training camp, but they finally had their answer as to who would start at the five.
Fans were skeptical at first, but not for long. Towns changed New York's offense for the good in what has turned out to be the best season of his career. However, he isn't the rim protector that Robinson is, which brings us back to the injured big man.
The Knicks' lone move at the trade deadline was sending Sims to the Bucks. They opted not to trade Robinson for a frontcourt upgrade. Why? New York believes that Robinson (when healthy) is better than a player it could've acquired.
Knicks need a healthy Mitchell Robinson ASAP
Fans thought Robinson would've returned by this point in the season. He was cleared for contact last week but won't return until sometime after the All-Star break. The exact timeline is still unclear.
Even when Robinson returns, there will be a fear that he'll get injured again. He returned at the end of the 2023-24 regular season after having ankle surgery in December. Robinson was key in containing Joel Embiid in New York's first-round win over Philadelphia. However, he didn't last for the remainder of the postseason because he had surgery on the same ankle.
None of this is to say that trading for KAT was a mistake. The Knicks would do that deal again a million times over. What they didn't see coming was Robinson missing more time than expected.
Achiuwa has played his role well for New York, but he's not a traditional center. Ariel Hukporti has impressed fans, but he's still learning. Neither should be relied on to play backup center minutes nightly.
Only Robinson can fill the void. He's the missing piece the defense needs. There are about two months in the regular season, so there's still time, but the clock is ticking. Hopefully, fans won't have to wait much longer to see Robinson back on the court.