New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson may be a rookie, but he's already impressing his head coach David Fizdale with his maturity. The 20-year-old Robinson recently got in an on-court altercation with Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris. Robinson kept his composure during the scrum, which led to Morris being ejected from the game.
The Knicks went on to claim a 124-121 win in overtime. Fizdale praised Robinson's response to Morris' name-calling.
“He can say what he wants to say,’’ Fizdale told the Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I’m always going to protect my guy. I was proud the way my guy handled it. I like the fact he didn’t back down. But I felt like he was the one who kept his composure — the one who showed the maturity. Using the word stupid for him, I don’t think was fair.”
Mitchell Robinson didn't play any college ball. He was supposed to be a freshman at Western Kentucky last season, but he ultimately elected to forgo college, keep himself busy for one year elsewhere, and enter the NBA draft. He was selected No. 36 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. The 7-foot-1 tower impressed onlookers by recording record block and offensive board totals in the NBA Summer league.
While Enes Kanter will probably be the starter, David Fizdale expects to get valuable minutes from Robinson as a backup. He's giving most players on the roster a chance to earn a starting spot.
It's unclear when Robinson will take the court again, as he suffered an ankle sprain in his team's second preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets. However, he'll be an important puzzle piece for the franchise's future.
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