Mitchell Robinson is now in his fifth season in the NBA. The New York Knicks center appears to be turning a corner right now as he looks to firmly establish himself as one of the key cogs to his team's core.
Robinson's strength has always been his elite rebounding abilities. The 24-year-old knows that he's a force to be reckoned with and he's recently sent out a stern warning for the rest of the league:
“I feel like I’m a dangerous man,” Robinson said, via Fred Katz of The Athletic. “You got to put three guys on me to keep me off the glass. That says a lot. I’m really becoming something. Mano a mano, man.
“Once I get to the spot and I’m playing there, it’s going to be hard to move m. You might as well try to pick me up and just move me out of the way. If I’m on the ground, you’re done. You’re done. You got to do what you got to do. Aye, 270 ain’t lightweight.”
He's not lying here. It no longer comes as a surprise to see defenders flock to Robinson in the paint at every given opportunity. He's not an explosive offensive threat for the Knicks — they have a few guys on the roster that are more than capable of the same — but there's no denying that Robinson demands a lot of attention from the opposition whenever he's on the floor.
“Hell yeah, that’s a compliment. I love it,” Robinson said when asked about dealing with three defenders bolting to him at once. “Now, I feel like I’m getting to a threat level.”
Right now, Mitchell Robinson is averaging 7.6 points, a career-high 9.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 26.2 minutes per contest. Consistency still remains to be an issue for him, though. The Knicks need more 20-rebound outings from Robinson, and there's just no room for those forgettable three-rebound performances from him.
Knicks teammate Jalen Brunson appreciates what Robinson brings to the table. They've been playing alongside each other for half a season now, and Brunson already has a full grasp of the type of value Robinson delivers:
“He’s always active. He’s a force in the paint,” Brunson said. “That’s just what he does.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau also shed some light on Robinson's recent development. In his mind, the former second-round pick has taken significant strides toward becoming a dominant big man in the NBA:
“He came in pretty raw,” Thibodeau said. “He didn’t have a lot of game experience from college or any of that. So, he sort of had to learn as he goes, and each year he’s made a really good step. And now, I think he has a good understanding of the league, the players he’s going against, the teams he’s going against.”
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