Many things have become clear following the New York Knicks' historic collapse against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The most important of all the takeaways, though, is that this team won't make it to the NBA Finals without tapping into Mitchell Robinson's superpower: offensive rebounding.
This game-changing skill is often portrayed as a luxury—an add-on to the Knicks' larger attack. It's not. It's integral. And it isn't so much the rebounds themselves as they opportunities they create.
That much was clear in Game 1. It was clear in previous series. And it is something New York must rely on more than ever moving forward.
The Impact of Mitchell Robinson's offensive rebounding is absurd
Robinson is grabbing 18.2 percent of the Knicks' misses when on the court. That is the highest mark in the playoffs among every player to log at least two minutes.
The 27-year-old pitched in another four offensive boards to open up the Eastern Conference Finals. In doing so, he reiterated the importance of those second-chance opportunities—not because of what they mean for him, but because of what that does for everyone else.
New York is boarding a whopping 41 percent of its own misses during the playoffs with Robinson on the floor, according to PBP Stats. For reference, the league average in the regular season was 25.2 percent. Defenders are so concerned with keeping Robinson from snaring offensive boards, it leaves others to crash the glass, and it can even open up space before a shot is ever attempted.
For so long, the knock on this approach has been that it comes at the expense of floor balance, and therefore efficiency. That can be true. But the Knicks' effective field-goal percentage—which measures two- and three-point efficiency—is slightly higher with Robinson on the court versus with him on the bench.
The trade-off in spacing is worth the extra possessions, too. The Knicks average close to second-chance opportunities per 100 possessions when Robinson plays. That number plunges to around 12 with him off the floor. This impact is even more valuable knowing that New York is actually averaging more first-chance points per 100 possessions with Robinson in the game than without him.
Mitchell Robinson's offensive rebounding also helps the defense
Most of these benefits are somewhat known. The less-talked about part of Robinson's impact on the offensive glass is what it does for the defense.
Creating more offensive possessions gives the Knicks more opportunities to score. And the more times they score, the easier it is for them to set up their defense at the other end. Getting back after misses is not a strong suit for this roster, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor.
The context of New York's defense changes in these situations. It allows fewer points per possession on defense after making a shot on offense, according to Inpredictable, and opponents are spending more time operating in the half-court with Robinson on the court, per Cleaning The Glass.
This says nothing of Robinson's overall defensive impact. Opponents do not get to the rim nearly as often with him patrolling the paint, and he insulates the team against surrendering easy transition opportunities when they are allowed.
It doesn't matter as much when Towns is lolligagging after missing a shot at the rim if Mitch is running the floor to get back. He makes opponents think twice about entering their normal fast-break mode. That is a fairly rare skill set for someone his size. Especially when said someone spends so much time trying to clean up his team's own misses, meaning he has to travel the full length of the floor to muck up other teams' transition offense.
The Knicks need to play Mitchell Robinson more
Make no bones about it, the Eastern Conference Finals is a Mitchell Robinson series. He needs to log more than the 21(ish) minutes he received in the Game 1 overtime loss.
Indiana does not have an answer for him, and Maul-A-Mitch won't do much to help. Intentionally fouling him lets New York set up its defense. That is not what the Pacers want.
Heck, they had a hard enough time getting out in transition Wednesday night. Fewer than 10 percent of their possessions came on the break. Across the 93 games the Pacers have played in the regular season and playoffs, this is just the sixth time that's happened all year.
Knocking Indiana out of its element, even if only ever so slightly, doesn't happen without Robinson. It is something the Knicks must try replicating in the games to come. If it comes at the expense of minutes for Josh Hart or KAT himself, then so be it. Robinson is too important, and the stakes are too high, to treat him like a typical reserve. After Jalen Brunson, in fact, he may be the player New York needs the most to take down the Pacers and reach the NBA Finals.
Dan Favale is a Senior NBA Contributor for FanSided and National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.