It’s been a while since New York Knicks had Mitchell Robinson in the field. The 25-year-old (who turns 26 on April 1) hasn’t played since December 8. He underwent ankle surgery and has now missed each of the Knicks’ last 47 games.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post brought good news on Wednesday. He reported that the seven-foot Robinson was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Injured Knicks Big Man Takes Part in Full Practice
When will Robinson return?
While this is considered positive news for the Knicks, it remains unclear when Robinson will return to action. Head coach Tom Thibodeau clarified that Wednesday was not an extended practice. The team is currently on a West Coast trip, with the final game Thursday against the Denver Nuggets.
Thibodeau made a few other comments, including that Robinson must undergo contact drills for a period of time before being cleared by team doctors. He also stated that Isaiah Hartenstein would remain departure center when Robinson returns. That’s understandable, considering Robinson hasn’t played in over 3.5 months. It remains to be seen whether he will return to his starting position at some point.
Robinson had a huge impact before getting injured
You could say Robinson, now in his sixth season, was in the midst of his best before his ankle injury. This despite averaging a career-low 6.2 points per game.
Robinson is also averaging a career-low 1.3 blocks, but there are reasons for that. He wasn’t chasing blocks like he might have done in previous seasons. This season, Robinson is averaging just 2.3 fouls per 36 minutes. He never averaged lower than 3.6 in his first five years. Not committing fouls and being an elite rim protector have led many to predict a possible spot on the All-Defensive team for Robinson this season.
Additionally, his offensive role goes well beyond not scoring much. Robinson is definitely in the discussion for best offensive rebounder when healthy. In his 21 games this season (29.2 minutes per game), he averaged 5.3 rebounds on the offensive glass.
Will Robinson and the Knicks be at full strength come playoff time?
Last season, New York advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The opportunity to at least do the same this year is there again, but being healthier will make this more likely.
Apart from Robinson, the starting attackers Julius Randle And OG Anunoby were excluded from the lineup. Anunoby returned from a three-game elbow injury that kept him out for a month and a half. He’s out again, missing Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. He is out for Thursday’s game against the Nuggets. Randle has been out since Jan. 29 with a separated shoulder.
The Knicks currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 1.5 games behind the third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, but just a half-game ahead of the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic. A top-four seed ensures home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Post Views: 1
