The New York Knicks are about to get a reinforcement in the form of Mitchell Robinson, who hasn't played since the 2024 playoffs. He re-injured the same ankle he had surgery on in December, having another surgery that has kept him sidelined until now.
Robinson was cleared for contact before the All-Star break and scrimmaged 5-on-5 for the first time last week. He missed the Knicks' back-to-back losses to the Cavaliers and Celtics, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Sunday that Robinson will return "sometime this week."
New York has three games this week: one on Wednesday at home against Philadelphia and two on the road over the weekend in Memphis and Miami.
On Tuesday, Tom Thibodeau spoke with the media, where he seemingly dropped a hint that could change everything for the Knicks. He referred to Mitch as the "starting center," which got fans buzzing about a possible starting lineup change.
"We've gone fifty-something games without our starting center. Guys have done a really good job stepping in. Could we do better? I always believe we can do better."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 25, 2025
- Tom Thibodeau on Mitchell Robinson pic.twitter.com/IFx0hlaKCw
Thibs hints that Robinson could return to being Knicks starting center
When Thibodeau talked about the Karl-Anthony Towns trade soon after it happened, he highlighted the team's need for a center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Towns has opened up the Knicks' offense with his spacing at the five, but his defensive weaknesses at center have been on full display, especially in Sunday's loss to Boston.
Towns played power forward in Minnesota alongside Rudy Gobert, boosting Minnesota's defense. The same could happen in New York with KAT and Mitch. The Knicks have a league-average defense and one of the best offenses, and it's usually the other way around for a team with Thibodeau at the helm.
Maybe this past weekend showed Thibodeau that the Knicks' best chance at competing with teams like the Celtics and Cavaliers is having Robinson as the starting center.
If the change happens, there will be an adjustment period, as having Mitch down low on offense will take some getting used to. New York will go from having one of the best shooting bigs of all time at the five to having a player who will never attempt a three-pointer. KAT can still spend time at the five with the bench unit.
There is still a month and a half before the postseason starts, so New York has time to make that switch without worrying about the players not spending enough time on the floor together.
Towns is the kind of player who will do whatever it takes to win, so if the plan is to move him to the four, he'll do it. He knows he isn't the rim protector and offensive rebounder that Mitch is.
Perhaps the switch is what the Knicks need. Now let's see if Thibodeau will actually do it.