The New York Knicks have been one of the most resolute defensive teams in the association, with the acquisition of OG Anunoby taking the team's collective two-way prowess to a higher level. But the Knicks may not have reached their final form on the defensive end quite yet, especially when Mitchell Robinson has been on the mend since early December. In a positive development, Robinson appears to be on the cusp of making his return to the hardwood.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Robinson has returned to full practice, which means that he is already taking contact — a positive sign in his recovery from the ankle injury he sustained that required surgery. While this doesn't mean that a return is imminent, this, at the very least, puts Robinson on track to help the Knicks in their playoff run in less than a month.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Mitchell Robinson “has got to go through contact for a while” before being cleared to play. Now, the definition of “a while” can vary, but this development will be nothing but music to Knicks fans' ears.
Mitchell Robinson's injury, potential impact for the Knicks in his return
Mitchell Robinson is a huge part of the Knicks' bruising identity under Tom Thibodeau. He is an offensive rebound machine, while he's also a threat to swat shots at any given time. Thus, it was a big loss when Robinson went down on December 8 with an ankle injury, the severity of which was unclear at first. However, after a few days, the Knicks determined that Robinson needed surgery to repair the injured ankle.
The initial timeline for Robinson's recovery was 8 to 10 weeks; this would have meant that the Knicks center could have returned as soon as early February and as late as early March. But it didn't look like Robinson was progressing well, with the Knicks filing for a Disabled Player Exception. This meant that the Knicks did not think that Robinson was going to return before June (the requirement for the league to grant the DPE).
However, the league denied the Knicks' application for the DPE, and now, Mitchell Robinson is closer to a return than ever. It behooves the Knicks to give Robinson some live-game reps before the postseason begins, so perhaps an April return could be in store for the 7'0 big man as he aims to be an X-factor for the team come playoff time.
Will Mitchell Robinson assume starting duties upon his return?
Mitchell Robinson has started all 21 games he has played for the Knicks this season. But with the stakes higher than ever, Tom Thibodeau might be reticent to throw Robinson into the fire, especially when New York has a very capable starting center holding the fort in Isaiah Hartenstein.
Hartenstein is averaging 7.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 36 games as a starter, giving the Knicks a different dimension thanks to his court vision and playmaking feel. Moreover, Hartenstein has been a master at racking up defensive stats, averaging a combined 2.1 steals and blocks in the 62 games he has played this season.
With the playoffs in mind, Isaiah Hartenstein hasn't exactly done anything to warrant a demotion from the starting lineup. Mitchell Robinson could then come in with more energy in limited minutes, crashing the glass with reckless abandon while protecting the paint with force.
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