New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is in for the biggest season of his career. For starters, this is the best Knicks team the eight-year veteran has ever been a part of, as the longest tenured Knick has been through every phase of the franchise’s rebuild.
Mitchell Robinson is the Knicks’ biggest X-factor this season
Furthermore, Robinson is entering a contract year at a time where he still has a lot to prove, particularly with his health. His on-court impact has already been well proven, but it will be all for not if he can’t stay healthy.
ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson said in a conference call previewing the season that the veteran big man will be the team’s biggest X-factor this year.
NBA: Preseason-Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks
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“Assuming health for most of their roster when you look at Mitchell Robinson, how healthy is he going to be?” Jefferson said. “Mitchell Robinson has to be healthy. If he’s not healthy and Karl-Anthony Towns is your primary big and you’re going to go through all — and you’re going to try and win a championship against all of those bigs that are floating around, if he’s not healthy during the season, they’re going to have trouble during the season, in my opinion, with Karl-Anthony Towns being the primary big.”
Robinson has missed a lot of time over the past few seasons. He missed the first 58 games of last season while recovering from ankle surgery that he underwent in the offseason, though he did stay healthy during the postseason and was critical to their Eastern Conference Finals run.
The Knicks need Robinson to stay healthy
However, he will be limited throughout this season to preserve his health. The team has already stated that he will not play in back-to-backs and be on a load management restriction throughout the season, so they will be without their paint anchor at times throughout the year.
Therefore, he must stay healthy with these measures in place, as they will need him down the stretch of the regular season as well as the playoffs. How healthy Robinson is can determine a lot of things, including the team’s title chances and his long-term future with the organization.
NBA: Preseason-Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks, mitchell robinson
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The team has yet to make a commitment to him long-term with his impending free agency, opting instead to extend Mikal Bridges earlier this summer. A productive season from Robinson could change that for better or worse, as the Knicks’ financial situation doesn’t favor a Robinson extension without some other salary relief moves.
Nevertheless, the Knicks will need Robinson more than ever this season, so the hope remains that he stays healthy over the course of the season.