Subscribe
Follow Us
Several high-profile players who had previously committed to play for USA Basketball this summer pulled out of consideration for the national team before training camp. While guys like James Harden, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and more each have their own specific reasons for reneging on their plans to play for Team USA, there's still one overarching justification all of them shared: the risk of injury as the 2019-20 season quickly approaches.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, training in Las Vegas with the Select Team, fell victim to that possibility earlier this week, leaving practice after tweaking his knee while scrimmaging. Fortunately, a subsequent MRI on his right knee revealed Robinson suffered no structural damage, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The second-year big man's injury can be seen at the 50-second mark in the video below, as he awkwardly crumples to the floor while cutting off a drive by Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma.
Article Continues Below
Mitchell Robinson’s sore knee is minor. He underwent MRI on Monday and it was clear, a source says. Team USA is holding him out of practice for precautionary reasons. You can see him tweak the knee at the 50-second mark of video from yesterday’s practice pic.twitter.com/WduiLJngEO
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) August 8, 2019
Robinson is one of the most athletically-gifted centers in basketball, possessing the run-jump ability of a player far smaller and also above-average quickness and overall coordination for a player his size. He put those attributes on highlight-reel display as a rookie, averaging 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in just 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 69.4 percent from the field with well over half his makes coming on dunks.
A second-round pick in last year's draft, Robinson has a long way to go to learn the finer points of the game at its highest level, and must be more judicious while trying to block shots around the rim to avoid foul trouble and continue developing. But given his solid overall instincts and mouth-watering physical profile, expect Robinson to become even more of a fan favorite for New York in 2019-20, and perhaps establish himself as the team's starting center of the present and future.
