Nothing and no one can ruin the vibes for the New York Knicks right now. That includes the struggles of Mitchell Robinson throughout the NBA finals. The Knicks clearly have enough to win without him playing a huge role. But that shouldn’t prevent them from remembering this series when the big man reaches free agency.
Please do not interpret this as an attempt to dump on Robinson. He remains a force on the offensive glass—New York is grabbing 40 percent of its own misses this series with him on the floor—and came up with two of the biggest defensive stops in team history at the end of Game 2.
Still, after getting outscored with him in the lineup by 10 points during Game 4, the Knicks are now minus-41 in his minutes for the series. That is the single-worst mark of anyone who has played in these Finals. And while these on-off splits aren’t always indicative of what you’re watching, this isn’t one of those times.
This isn’t the series for Mitchell Robinson
Robinson deserves a ton of credit for taking the floor at all after recently having surgery to repair a broken pinkie finger. He has at times delivered his usual brand of physicality and mobility on defense, and remains a nuisance to box out on the offensive glass.
This time around, it’s not enough. Not even close. The Knicks have cut his minutes as a result. He was averaging just 14.1 through the first three rounds, and is down to 11.8 against the Spurs.
Working around his offensive limitations is proving to be a non-starter. Maul-a-Mitch is an ever-present danger with him on the floor, and shooting under 31 percent from the charity stripe for the series.
Beyond that, he has struggled to get a handle on the ball off some lob passes, and even a few offensive boards. Playing in a finger splint could be a contributing factor, but the Knicks can’t have a low-usage who’s a wild card on catches.
Not surprisingly, the offense hasn’t looked great with him in the game. Even when he connects on his screens, the Knicks’ half-court floor balance looks clumpy. They are averaging under 0.96 points per possession during his minutes, while shooting below 42 percent on twos and less than 30 percent from downtown. They aren’t even scoring efficiently off his offensive rebounds.
This says nothing of Robinson’s defensive spottiness. The Spurs are shooting 60 percent on twos and over 41 percent on triples during his minutes, and pumping in more than 1.26 points per possession. Considering they’ve put up 1.09 points per possession for the series, this is a big deal.
Covering Victor Wembanyama is no easy task. And again, Robinson has done an admirable job for stretches. He has also failed to balance staying tethered to Wemby with providing his usual dose of help around the basket.
The Knicks need to remember this in free agency
All signs point to the Knicks re-signing Robinson after this season, even though it almost assuredly means cannonballing into the second apron. One bad series isn’t going to change the plan—not when that series is seeing him tough out a broken finger, and line up opposite a 7’4” megastar unlike any other we’ve ever seen.
But Robinson’s big-picture value isn’t just about this series. Or even this playoff run. It is an accumulation of red flags and inconveniences. His body will forever need to be on a maintenance program. Even then, his availability remains a mystery box.
Most importantly of all, there will be matchups in which he can’t leverage the full breadth of his skill set, healthy or not. The Spurs are one of them. There are and will be others, too.
Knowing all of this, from the good to the bad, the Knicks must decide how much Robinson is worth to them. And with the roster only getting more expensive to keep intact, they can’t let the sheen of a (likely) championship prevent them from having a brutally honest conversation that potentially leads them to a painfully awkward answer.
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