Ahead of Tuesday's conference showdown between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, coach Darko Rajakovic highlighted the biggest concern he has when going up against the East's third seeds, and, surprisingly, it's not what one would inherently expect.
While the vast majority of attention and praise for New York's play is generally geared toward the brilliance of stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, Rajakovic seemed to be more fixated on the impact that big man Mitchell Robinson can have on a game.
"For us against them, the biggest thing is rebounding... Their offensive rebounding was something that really stands out... The best rebounder in the league is coming from the bench in Mitchell Robinson," Rajakovic said.
Mitchell Robinson gives Knicks an edge few teams can match
Throughout his eight seasons in the association, Robinson has established himself as one of, if not the best, rebounders the game has to offer.
Here in 2025-26, with an average of 11.1 offensive rebounds per 100 possessions, he's actually pulling down more second-chance opportunities himself than a large chunk of teams across the league.
With him on the floor, the Knicks rank in the 93 percentile in points per 100 possessions (122.2) and, even more impressive, the 98 percentile in offensive rebound percentage (38.3).
Time and time again, Robinson's dominance on the glass has proven to be the ultimate difference-maker in a game. His 15 boards in just 18 minutes of action in this year's NBA Cup Championship, for example, played an invaluable role in New York pulling out the win over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
With all this in mind, it's undeniable that, in order for this team to have its best chance of winning its first NBA Finals since 1973, having the 27-year-old healthy and readily available will be crucial come playoff time.
Of course, as all Knicks fans are aware, his health status is far from easy to predict.
Mitchell Robinson's health makes him biggest wildcard on Knicks
Since the 2020-21 campaign, Robinson has found himself suiting up in fewer than 60 games in a season, while the two coming into this one saw him register less than 35.
Here in 2025-26, the big man has managed to stay relatively healthy (*knock on wood*), missing just 17 of the club's 61 games.
However, it's worth noting that most of these absences came amid back-to-backs, in which head coach Mike Brown has opted to sit him for one of the two games.
While he may not be a star in the technical sense, Robinson is one of the biggest game changers the Knicks have within their arsenal.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic clearly understands this heading into Tuesday's showdown. So, too, should the rest of the league.