Going into the New York Knicks' first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, it was easy to think that their big men would have an easy time producing throughout the series. The Hawks' lineup is relatively small, and backup big man Jock Landale was ruled out for two weeks before Game 1 even tipped off.
But Atlanta's committment of multiple defenders to limiting Robinson's impact on the glass, as well as their willingness to foul him and force the 40-percent free throw shooter to the line, has left New York in a tough spot.
Mike Brown feels like the Hawks are forcing his hand with Robinson. His preference to play Josh Hart with "double big" lineups including both Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns allows Atlanta to take advantage of that group's lack of shooting.
In Game 5, though, Brown showed that he might be ready to turn the page – and help the Knicks play even better. The coach finally went back to playing Towns and Robinson together, with the two big men winning their five first-half minutes by six points.
Knicks can get more out of Towns, Robinson combination
If Brown keeps going to New York's "double big" configurations, they can continue their steady improvement on both ends of the court throughout the postseason thus far.
New York's longest-tenured player delivered seven points, six rebounds, and a block in Game 5. The stat line isn't screaming at anyone from the box score, but Robinson did it all in just 16 minutes.
It doesn't seem like much, because it isn't. But it was the second-highest minute total he's logged against these Hawks thus far, having played 18 in his standout Game 2 performance.
If Brown keeps trusting him, especially in lineups that pair him with Towns, he can get back to delivering the series-swinging impact fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers know well.
Robinson's health is one of the Knicks' best postseason assets
Going into the postseason, Robinson was viewed as a swing factor for the Knicks by league analyst Zach Lowe. The pundit, on his self-titled NBA show, told hoops strategist Kirk Goldsberry that the longest-tenured Knick's health could lay the foundation for the team's stars to lead a deep postseason run.
"Mitchell Robinson is, maybe, the biggest reason to have faith that the Knicks actually could make the Finals, is that he's been pretty healthy and really, really productive all year. Both alongside KAT, and when Brunson and Mitchell Robinson play together and KAT is resting, that's been very effective for them because it just simplifies their offense," Lowe opined.
Through five games, Brown hasn't had the easiest time maximizing Robinson's potential impact on the Hawks throughout their series. The Knicks lead 3-2, but the coach was brought in to optimize the team's process on a nightly basis regardless of the results they were producing.
Robinson is shooting 13-15 from the floor in the series, but just 5-13 from the free throw line. That's in line with his 40.8% regular season average from the charity stripe. He likely won't improve that figure by much. The Knicks need to find a way to play him more regardless, especially if it's next to Towns.
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