New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson seems to be progressing nicely from his December left ankle surgery to address a stress fracture. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reports that the seven-footer out of Western Kentucky fully partook in the club’s practice yesterday. He’s only played in 21 contests for the club this season, averaging 6.2 points on 59.2% field goal shooting, 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks a night.
“It wasn’t an extended (practice) obviously,” head coach Tom Thibodeau allowed as a caveat. “But he did shooting. He did offense, defense, script.” Thibodeau explained that Robinson may still have a ways to go before his return. “He’s got to go through contact for a while. So then he’s got to get cleared by the doctor.”
Isaiah Hartenstein, who kicked off the season as Robinson’s backup, has been fully promoted to the starting role, and will jump at center even if Robinson returns this year, notes Thibodeau. Hartenstein is averaging seven points on .622/.333/.724 shooting splits, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and one steals a night.
Robinson has missed 20+ games in three of his past four seasons, including 45+ (and counting) twice. The 25-year-old big man is in the second year of a (descending) four-year, $60 million deal he inked with New York ahead of the 2022-23 season. Robinson has two more seasons under contract after this year.
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Given the way the current contract is structured, Robinson is set to see his salary dip from $15.7 million this year to $14.3 million in 2024-25, and just $12.9 million in 2025-26. He’ll reach free agency the next summer, should he opt not to work out a contract extension to stick around New York.
Hartenstein’s shooting and availability have clearly endeared him to Thibodeau. And why shouldn’t they? He’s helping the team overall secure the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, at 41-27. His paint presence and rim protection make him a stellar deterrent for opposing defenders. The fact that he’s a solid rebounder also makes him a useful attribute on both sides of the ball.
Will Robinson actually show up before the Knicks’ regular season wraps up in a bit less than a month? Time will tell, but certainly it’d be nice to see him again before the year is out, even if it will now be in a reserve role. Robinson’s health issues have already had a bit of an impact on how much Thibodeau trusts his play. But New York’s frontcourt is incredibly injury-deprived, especially with starting forwards OG Anunoby and All-Star Julius Randle both dealing with long-term ailments.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.