Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Knicks looked unprepared for the playoffs in a recent home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They blew a big first-half lead, allowing the Cavaliers to steal a comeback win without Donovan Mitchell. Despite noise about coach Tom Thibodeau’s tenure being in jeopardy, he might have demonstrated some important self awareness in the recent loss. And if so, it was Mitchell Robinson successfully playing more than 30 minutes that tipped us off.
Before we get too far into what took place with Robinson, it’s important to remember that Thibodeau was recently criticized by one of his own players for playing his key players heavy minutes.
Just prior to Friday’s game, the Knicks announced that Karl-Anthony Towns would not play (knee). That left Robinson as the lone center on the Knicks’ roster. And in being the only center, it was expected — although not certain — that Robinson would take on a bigger workload.
Well, Robinson put up eight points, seven rebounds, and one block in a season high 32:48. Performance aside, what can you glean from a guy who’s recently returned from injury playing those type of minutes? At the very least, you can surmise that he’s relatively healthy. Or at least that his coaching staff believes he is.
Robinson’s season-high in minutes could be telling
So, if Robinson can play nearly 33 minutes in the second-to-last game of the season, why was he averaging only 16.1 minutes per game in the 16 games prior to Friday?
Sure, Robinson’s minutes had to be watched over initially upon his return—especially given his propensity for aggravating old injuries.
However, maybe—just maybe—Thibodeau was being strategic with Robinson’s minutes.
Maybe Robinson could have played heavier minutes over the past two weeks. But maybe Thibodeau realized that the risk-reward of unleashing Robinson when the two seed was out of reach was simply not worth it.
Article Continues Below
If Thibodeau was exercising caution with Robinson’s minutes, does that call into question all of the criticism he’s received regarding overplaying his better players? It might, at least partially.
Maybe key Knicks issue isn’t Tom Thibodeau’s fault
In the moment, it’s easy to look for a scapegoat. And the coach is an obvious one (see Mike Malone in Denver). But when the dust settles, we might look back on how Thibodeau handled minutes with this team and blame the lack of roster depth.
Realistically, how could the Knicks be expected to win if they played their bench heavier minutes? No disrespect to the bench, but without Robinson, the only player capable of playing 20 or more minutes per game on a winning team is Miles McBride.
Further, maybe Thibodeau knows exactly what Robinson is capable of—which is a fair assumption considering Robinson is the longest tenured member of the team. And maybe Thibodeau preferred to hide Robinson so opponents would be less prepared to face him in the playoffs.
Granted, there are a lot of maybes in this theory. It could also be that Thibodeau wanted to get Towns some extra rest. Thus, Robinson was the only option at center. But the idea that a former Coach of the Year might know more about roster management than fans and naysayers isn’t far fetched.
The last game of the season is this Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. How much Robinson and other major contributors play will be telling. Either way, the Knicks are locked into the third-seed and destined for a first-round matchup with the Detroit Pistons. And regardless of why Robinson has played limited minutes since returning from injury, maybe it will benefit the team.
