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Although he did not play the entire season, Mitchell Robinson had still been a panacea for Knicks fans. When someone called the lower 10 defense of the team, the answer was inevitably a version of “Wait for Mitchell Robinson returns!” Reductive, certainly, but in his seasonal debut during the exciting 114-113 victory of New York on the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Robinson showed almost all the ways in which he can help the Knicks to a championship to push further into a championship.
Robinson only played 12 minutes while he continues to build his wind after restoring ankle operation, six points, five rebounds and an assist. The song that really stands out is that the Knicks were a team-best plus-11 in his minutes. Let’s look at a few important ways in which Robinson New York’s return can bring to the next level.
Attacking rebound
Everyone who looked at the absolute pounding Knicks gave the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first round series of 2023, understand how impactful Robinson can be on the offensive glass. During that series he had almost as many attacking rebounds (29) as Cavs Center Jarrett Allen had total rebounds (37). While Robinson only pulled one down in the return of Friday to court, he also got his fingertips on a few 50-50 balls that will probably go his way once his conditioning is aware.
On 7-foot and mentioned on 240 pounds (it looks even bigger than that), Robinson is just a monster of a human. When the ball goes up and he makes a decision to get it, his enormous power and impeccable technique requires him to love his goal. Look how Grizzlies Center Brandon Clarke – not exactly a small man himself – is moved by the paint like a paper doll from Robinson while collecting the attacking rebound. He misses the putback, but they go into an overwhelming majority of time as soon as he comes back in shape (don’t forget Robinson NBA Record for field target accuracy at 74.2% in 2020).
Last season, with Robinson who played 31 games, the Knicks led the NBA with just over 13 attacking rebounds per 100 assets. This season they are 22nd with just under 11 per match. Offensive rebound has disappeared from the identity of the Knicks, and Robinson is exactly the person to bring it back.
Rim protection
As inviolable as Karl-Anthony Towns has been attacking this season, there is no to go that he not exactly years of Jackson Jr. is like a rim protector. Towns is in the 23rd percentile in defending shots in the basket, per synergy sports – 62nd in the NBA for each player with at least 100 such assets.
In the last semi-full season of Robinson in 2022-23, he ranked in the 65th percentile in defense at the Rand-not completely elite, but certainly a huge improvement in relation to cities. Those statistics also do not contain photos that not Simply taken by the presence of Mitchell. We saw a few on Friday evening, including this piece where yes Morant works in something else would be a routine dloater from the dotted line, but Robinson scares him. Instead, Morant goes to the corner, where Desmond Bane has blocked his 3-point attempt by OG Anunoby.
Cities do not bring that level of intimidation to the defensive end.
Another bonus with Robinson is the effort level. For a big man he can actually move reasonably well, so if you combine it with a solid engine, you play like this, where he runs Santi Aldama from his original 3-point place, even though he is under free throw line when he catches the ball.
The Knicks allow the ninthest points in the paint of Elke NBA -Team This season, which does not predict well for the play -offs. Robinson is a antidote for this and will drastically change the defensive makeup of the team if he can stay healthy.
Vertical distance
Almost the only negative that you can say about cities as an attacking player is that he is not the most dynamic vertical athlete. Enter Robinson, essentially the prototypical lob threat that lingers around the Dunker spot on most assets that are ready to punish all the big men who cheat him to help on Drives of Jalen Brunson or one of the other perimeter scorers of the Knicks. View here while he takes an easy dump-off from Anunoby in Friday’s victory in Memphis and then shows a good calmness and touch to complete the layout.
With how many teams on Brunson are loaded in the paint, Robinson should get at least three or four lob chances per game – a source of easy buckets that New York doesn’t really have without him.
He is also athletic enough to do some work on the perimeter as a dribble hand-off hub. On Friday he had a great lecture made on a QB keeper in Drayond Green-Stijl that led to a wide open trip to the track and an informal two-handed Dunk. This was actually his first basket of the season.
Of course this is not from Tom Thibodeau’s Bread-and-butter offensive set, but the fact that Robinson is able to play such a game (and finish) at least gives the Knicks a different look.
Cat -Insurance
Towns has been a warrior this season and only misses six games, but it is always nice to have a backup that you have for sure that you have long been throwing it for a long time. Especially with the knee injury to Ariel Hukporti, the Knicks are just low on large bodies, and Robinson will help Thibodeau a little easier to rest if cities are forced to miss the time.
The other problem with cities is of course dirty problems. Before his career, he has an average of 3.6 errors per game in the play -offs and often notices to the bank early. That is exactly what happened on Friday evening, when Robinson was forced to enter the game just before the seven -minute Mark of the first quarter after the cities picked up his second mistake.
Prior to Robinson’s return, the only other option was besides hukporti to put precious Achiuwa in the middle, but the net rating of the team fell on the floor with almost nine points per 100 assets on the floor. Compare that with Robinson, who raised the net rating of the team with 6.5 points in his last healthy season in 2022-23.
Towns will be essential for every potential extensive play -off run from Knicks, but it is a luxury to have a familiar back -up such as Robinson if and when dirty problems raised its ugly head again.