The moment New York Knicks fans have been waiting for is around the corner — Mitchell Robinson's return. He had his second ankle surgery of the 2023-24 season last May and has been sidelined since.
Robinson was initially projected to return in December or January, but it's now Feb. 22, and he has yet to play a game. On Wednesday, he scrimmaged 5-on-5 for the first time, which was a big step forward in his recovery. It's unclear when he'll make his regular-season debut, but it seems it'll be sooner rather than later.
It'll take time for Robinson to get back into the flow of things, which is normal, considering it's been nine months since he played in a game. He'll likely return with a minute restriction. Yes, even Tom Thibodeau should abide by that.
Fans have wondered what Thibodeau's rotations will look like when Robinson returns. He'll presumably come off the bench (at least to start) but could be in the closing lineup at the five alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. The current starting center is in the middle of one of the best seasons of his career but you can't overlook his experience playing alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.
Not only are there questions about how Robinson will fit, but questions about how his return will affect KAT.
How will Mitchell Robinson's return affect the Knicks?
The pre-training camp trade for Towns opened New York's offense up with him at the five. His presence has transformed the Knicks' offense into something fans didn't know they'd see under Thibodeau, but it has hurt the defense.
Towns isn't the rim-protecting center that Robinson is, so Thibodeau should play Mitch and KAT together. It will affect New York's spacing with Robinson down low, as everyone knows he isn't a three-point shooter. It doesn't matter how many workout videos he posts of him shooting threes. It will be more difficult for Towns (and the other players) to drive to the basket with Robinson and his man down low.
There will be kinks that the Knicks need to work out when Robinson returns. There are 26 games left in the regular season, so there's still time to figure things out before the playoffs start. It will be interesting to see the dynamic on the court between KAT and Mitch. Hopefully, it won't affect the season that Towns is having.
The only way to find out is to try it, and the good news is that soon, fans should see Robinson and Towns on the floor together.