MEMPHIS — Mitchell Robinson’s long-awaited return was about as promising because the Knicks may’ve envisioned.
After roughly 10 months on the shelf, the longest-tenured Knick logged 12 minutes with six factors and 5 boards in an exciting 114-113 victory Friday night time.
Robinson, who hadn’t performed since present process ankle surgical procedure in Could, was known as into motion sooner than deliberate due to foul hassle to Karl-Anthony Cities.
He responded within the first shift with a driving dunk and a left-handed end within the put up.
“You saw that, huh? It was smooth,” Robinson stated of his dunk. “I mean, that’s something we’ve been working on through the whole rehab process. I felt comfortable doing it.”
Robinson’s return coincided with the Knicks in determined want for frontcourt and defensive assist, with only one different pure middle on the roster — Cities — and accidents beginning to pile up because the season approaches the ultimate quarter pole.
The expectation is that Robinson will function beneath a minutes restriction in hopes of staying wholesome and peaking for the playoffs.
He stated the restrict Friday night time was 18, however he solely managed 12, consuming up quite a lot of the time designated recently for Treasured Achiuwa, who solely performed 4 minutes towards the Grizzlies.
Tom Thibodeau stated he was impressed because the Knicks outscored the Grizzlies by 11 factors with Robinson on the courtroom.
“For the first game back, for the amount of time he’s been out, I thought it was really good,” the coach stated. “We’ve been seeing it in practice, this was the next step, the pick-and-roll defense, the rim protection, the rebounding, he made a lot of good plays, just moving on penetration, pressure on the rim offensively, it opens up space for us. It’s really a game of space, so the more you can create space, the better your offense is going to be.”
Robinson has lower than two months to develop chemistry with new teammates, regain his defensive rhythm and, maybe most significantly given Robinson’s historical past, attain a conditioning degree that may maintain him on the courtroom and promote well being.
But it surely was a great begin.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Robinson stated. “But the urge to get back out there was there.”
Robinson, who has had ft and ankle issues and has undergone a number of surgical procedures, represents the Knicks’ prime rim protector and offensive rebounder — two areas which have fallen off a cliff for the crew this season.
His capacity to play alongside Cities — very like Rudy Gobert did when he and Cities had been Timberwolves teammates — may unlock a a lot larger defensive ceiling, attaching larger anticipation and expectations for his return.
The Knicks entered Friday ranked No. 21 in protection and No. 22 in offensive rebounds per recreation.
They had been prime 4 in offensive rebounds per recreation the previous three seasons.
The entrance workplace additionally banked on Robinson’s large affect by standing pat on the commerce deadline, believing Robinson was higher than the frontcourt depth items available on the market.
Robinson’s availability grew to become extra vital after information Friday that rookie middle Ariel Hukporti is out for the season with a torn meniscus.
“Definitely impact on the defensive end is big time for us,” Miles McBride stated. “Having a paint presence like that is huge. I know he’s going to get the rebounding back. Tonight was tough. There was a lot of 50-50 balls he didn’t come up with. But I know once he gets back in rhythm, he’ll get those.”
There might be one other profit to Robinson’s return, in response to Jalen Brunson, who known as the middle’s locker room presence “underrated.” Robinson, a self-described nation boy from Louisiana, tends to lighten the temper with teasing.
The Knicks misplaced a few of their locker room uniters from final season in Isaiah Hartenstein and Donte DiVincenzo.
“Doesn’t take everything serious off the court,” McBride stated. “Once he gets on the court, he’s a whole different animal. So it’s good to have a guy in the locker room that’s a little bit more upbeat.”
Robinson hadn’t performed since Could, when he underwent a second surgical procedure on his left ankle. The preliminary phrase was that the 26-year-old would probably return for coaching camp. He then missed almost three-quarters of the season.
