Mitchell Robinson injury update provides optimism for thin Knicks rotation

Help is connected the mode — and not a infinitesimal excessively soon.

Knicks halfway Mitchell Robinson continues to marque strides successful his betterment from a 2nd surgery-inducing accent fracture successful his near ankle. While helium hasn’t been cleared for contact, caput manager Tom Thibodeau expressed optimism astir the advancement the seven-footer has made.

“He’s conscionable moving individually close now. [He] hasn’t been cleared. There volition beryllium a progression, too,” Thibodeau said earlier Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. “It starts with 1-on-0, which is truly wherever helium is close now, but helium hasn’t been cleared for interaction yet. So that volition beryllium the adjacent phase: 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and past 5-on-5.”

Robinson hasn’t played since Game 1 of the Knicks’ second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. His troubles began successful December 2023 during a matchup against the Boston Celtics, erstwhile helium took a “wrong step.” That led to country and sidelined him for much than 3 months. Robinson returned to play 10 of the last 11 regular-season games, lone to aggravate the wounded successful a bruising first-round bid against the Philadelphia 76ers. He went down for bully successful the playoff opener against Indiana.

Now, Robinson’s instrumentality looms ample for a Knicks squad that needs reinforcements connected some ends of the floor.

New York ranks bottom-10 successful hostile points successful the overgarment per game, a glaring weakness for a squad aiming to contend for a championship. Robinson’s elite rim extortion — some successful blocking shots and deterring guards from attacking the handbasket — could drastically amended this metric.

Rebounding has besides been an issue. Despite Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart’s precocious centrifugal connected the glass, the Knicks beryllium successful the bottom-10 successful rebounds per crippled and fertile 18th wide successful violative rebounding. Last season, with Robinson anchoring the paint, New York was No. 1 successful violative rebounding and 5th successful full rebounding. His instrumentality could reconstruct the team’s dominance connected the boards.

Robinson besides addresses a size contented that teams similar Atlanta, Detroit, and Houston person exploited done physicality. Standing astatine a morganatic 7 feet tall, Robinson brings a beingness that could assistance New York combat the bruising benignant of definite opponents. Pairing him with Towns successful a supersized lineup could unfastened caller possibilities, particularly fixed the occurrence Towns saw playing alongside Rudy Gobert successful Minnesota.

“That’s evidently a anticipation due to the fact that we consciousness similar Karl’s comfy doing both, playing some positions,” Thibodeau said Friday. “So we consciousness similar that’ll beryllium an added limb for us.”

Robinson’s instrumentality doesn’t conscionable bolster the starting lineup, it adds flexibility to Thibodeau’s rotations. He could anchor the seat alongside Precious Achiuwa, providing a stronger antiaircraft beingness portion Towns shifts to a scoring relation for a 2nd portion that ranks dormant past successful points per crippled this season.

However, Thibodeau said he’s focused connected the contiguous and hasn’t delved into the specifics of however Robinson volition acceptable upon his return.

“No. Just time to day,” Thibodeau said. “I was precise pleased with however he’s approached the rehab: precise diligent, moving hard. [He’s] doing each helium tin each day, moving connected his conditioning. So he’s done a bully job. I person to absorption connected what we person to bash with the squad close now, who’s available, and preparing for each game. But he’s done a truly bully job.”

Robinson’s conditioning has been a focal constituent during his recovery. Despite the challenges of country connected a little extremity, helium has maintained a thin frame, weighing successful astatine 268 pounds according to a societal media station connected Thursday.

“He’s done a truly bully job,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously he’s successful the excavation a lot, truthful he’s doing that benignant of worldly and connected a motorcycle — the low-impact worldly — and evidently diet’s a large portion of that arsenic well. And he’s lifting, he’s doing a batch of things similar that. Whatever helium tin do, he’s done, which is good. He’s making bully progress.”

TOWNS SIDELINED AGAIN

While Robinson’s instrumentality offers hope, the Knicks are inactive navigating a rocky agelong without their starting center. Towns missed his second consecutive game Friday with a sprained close thumb, an wounded sustained during a dunk effort against the Detroit Pistons connected Monday.

Towns is expected to instrumentality and play done the injury, but Jericho Sims started successful his spot for the 2nd consecutive crippled against the Timberwolves.

For now, the Knicks indispensable upwind the tempest without Robinson oregon Towns. But with Robinson’s advancement and a measured attack to his rehab, assistance is connected the horizon. The question is whether the Knicks tin clasp the enactment until he’s acceptable to measurement backmost connected the court.