The are set to welcome back starting center Mitchell Robinson to the line-up tonight after having missed 50 straight games following ankle surgery back in December. Following the announcement of his return, the Knicks’ post-season chances are now considered to be exponentially boosted due to his defensive abilities and hustle, which is 'infectious' to his teammates, according to . When Mitchell Robinson went down with what originally looked like a season-ending ankle injury, it looked like
New York would endure yet another season of missed opportunities, but this time around, their fortunes may be favored. With the Knicks center set to return to the fray of the tonight after missing the past 50 games recovering from , his welcome is set to be a warm one, with the New York outfit having suffered , having struggled without and OG Anunoby, who have each also seen lengthy absences on the sidelines due to injury. With these absences also came some financial consequences, with Randle this season due to being unable to fulfill the 65-game threshold to become eligible. Julius Randle - 2023-24
shooting Splits Distance FG% < 5 ft. 63.6% 5-9 ft. 43.7% 10-14 ft. 41.4% 15-19 ft. 44.1% 20-24 ft. 38.8% 25-29 ft. 27.5% While Anunoby appears to be gearing up for an imminent return, having recovering from an elbow injury, there is and his shoulder, with concerns being raised over whether he will be able to suit up for the Knicks before the end of the regular season, having not been cleared for on-court contact, though he has been cleared to travel on the road with the team. But, there have been some silver linings. With the Knicks suffering such a depletion in head coach Tom Thibodeau's preferred starting five, this has provided opportunities for the roster depth to step up, wholly adopting a 'next man up' approach, with All-Star Jalen Brunson leading the charge, supported by his former Villanova Wildcats teammates, Donte DiVincenzo and while also featuring strong cameos from the likes of Deuce McBride. But it is backup center Isaiah Hartenstein, who spent time in the starting line-up as a forward prior to Robinson's absence, who has mightily impressed, in which he has in rebounds (9.9), and blocks (1.4), posting consistent numbers all season long. As such, this has led to him being down the stretch of the season, and into the post-season, despite the impending return of his teammates, where he has already demonstrated that he can be trusted at any given point, if required to take on an additional workload. Despite their injury woes, the Knicks hold a firm grasp of an automatic playoff spot, currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, though that position is fluid with them only half a game behind the , and a game ahead of the chasing . But their hopes of climbing the standings have been further bolstered by the announcement made by Adrian Wojnarowski, that Robinson for tonight's match-up against the , marking his first return to league action since mid-December. Medina is far from coy when expressing how impactful Robinson has been, when available, for the Knicks this season, stating that he embodies the ‘blue collar mentality’ in which Thibodeau has instilled in the group since taking over as head coach back in 2020. "His return is a huge boost. Isaiah Hartenstein has played really well as a center, but it's always good to have more healthy bodies. It's also in the context of still not having Julius Randle or OG Anunoby, and while the Knicks are internally optimistic they're going to return at some point this season, they don't have a definitive timetable on that. But, the bigger thing is whether they can be at their healthiest come playoff time. So, from that standpoint, it's huge. Mitchell Robinson was one of their best defenders, and he really epitomized what Tom Thibodeau wants in a defensive-oriented team, which is having that blue collar mentality, being able to muck it up inside, but also having an infectious personality who inspires the rest of his teammates to play good defense, and be more organized as a unit.” Prior to his injury, Robinson set himself , the first time he has amassed double-digit rebounds in his six-year
NBA career, having improved incrementally year-upon-year. As it stands, he is the only Knick to register double-digits off the glass in the 2023-24 campaign. Mitchell Robinson - 2023-24 Defensive Statistics Category DFGA DFG% DIFF% Overall 13.0 50.2 -0.6 3-pointers 3.3 36.2 +1.0 2-pointers 9.7 54.9 -1.8 Despite suffering a slight dip in his scoring, posting the worst output of his career by averaging 6.2 points in 29 minutes, shooting a career-low 36.8 percent from the field, the plethora of offensive and scoring talent available to the Knicks' roster has allowed the 25-year-old to focus on his primary role - to exert his presence on defense - and he has taken monumental strides on that front, especially from outside of the paint. When defending opponents from more than 15 feet away from the basket, the seven-footer on their 4.7 shot attempts, 3.9 percent fewer than their average of 36.5 percent. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Mitchell Robinson leads all centers in the NBA in steals this season, averaging 1.5 steals per contest. When delving deeper into his rebounding, Robinson , the fourth-most on the team, though he of anyone to suit up for the Knicks, with two per game on average. Additionally, he amasses the with 17.0, ahead of Randle whose 15.2 rebound chances rank second on the roster, though Robinson once again with 6.1, while Hartenstein averages 4.1 contested rebounds per game. Only 2.7 of Randle's 9.2 rebounds are contested. Undoubtedly, the Knicks will be welcoming the return of their starting center with open arms, after having been so shorthanded of late and having to rely heavily on roster depth to navigate through their adversity. Nonetheless, sitting in fourth place in such a congested Eastern Conference is still an incredible feat, though the Knicks will believe that they can rise even higher up the standings before the season comes to a close, with Robinson's return only further boosting their confidence.