New York Knicks fans spent over a month getting nothing but good news with regard to their favorite basketball team. But the news of Mitchell Robinson's broken right pinky interrupted that emotional parade left them just as anxious as they were excited.
All things considered, though, things seem to be alright with the center's smallest digit. Now that the Knicks are down in San Antonio, media members were able to attend team practice on Tuesday. Robinson arrived without anything on his hand, and practiced with a brace that allowed him to dribble.
For a 7-footer that just had a pinky surgically repaired last week, Robinson's capabilities on the court ostensibly represented the base-case scenario for the Knicks. That's a major sigh of relief for fans going into New York's biggest playoff series in 27 years: especially considering that the Spurs start the league's tallest threat at center.
Tuesday's Knicks practice brings some good vibes for Robinson's pinky
Thanks to the coverage of scribes like Stefan Bondy, Kristian Winfield, and Jared Schwartz, plenty of videos circulated on Tuesday that showed varying angles of Robinson's finger (and the brace strapped onto it).
The center was captured shaking hands with Knicks executives, dribbling with both hands, and even grabbing rebounds with only his right hand. He was seen exercising some caution when going up to throw down dunks, gently dropping the basketball inside of the rim as opposed to smashing it through in typical "Mighty Mitch" fashion.
It only makes sense for the big man to avoid unnecessary risks ahead of the series, though. The Knicks were going to need him regardless of who they wound up matching up against. Even if they avoided Victor Wembanyama's Spurs, they were going to have to face an old friend down low in Isaiah Hartenstein.
Especially given the size advantage that Wemby has over everyone else in the league, it's definitely helpful for the Knicks to have one of their two 7-footers in tow. OG Anunoby is the team's best defensive player, but Robinson has helped them win several playoff series in the past with his offensive rebounding, rim protection, and overall physicality.
The Spurs obviously present a different kind of threat than the 2023 Cleveland Cavaliers or 2024 Philadelphia 76ers, but Robinson has been integral to the Knicks' approach against them in recent years. He's no stranger to having ridiculous stat lines against these Spurs, pulling down 10 offensive rebounds in the 18 minutes he played in New York's NBA Cup Championship win in December.
Even with the Alien on the other side continuing to evolve as a superstar player, the Knicks have a chance to slow him down because of their versatility on both ends of the court. Their longest-tenured player is essential to that, particularly defensively, and seems like he'll be ready to prove it earlier on in this series than later.
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