Following Tuesday’s practice, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau added some insight on Mitchell Robinson‘s progression and possible return after it was reported on Sunday that the center is “closing in on his season debut.”
Thibodeau told reporters that Robinson “did everything” in practice and that he was “very active.” Of course, the team will wait and see how Robinson feels on Wednesday before giving more details on the situation.
“It’s more how he feels the next day,” Thibodeau said. “He’s doing everything, taking contact, then he has to get clearance from medical.”
Out for the entire season so far after undergoing surgery on his left ankle in mid-May, Robinson hasn’t played in a game for New York since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers on May 6. The 26-year-old missed 50 games last season after fracturing the same ankle on Dec. 8, 2023.
But despite not having their starting center, the Knicks have found ways to win and currently sit at 37-20, good for third in their conference. And with Robinson back in the mix soon, New York expects to get a jolt that’s been missing.
“We’ve gone fifty-something games without our starting center,” Thibodeau said. “Guys have done a really good job stepping in. Could we do better? I always believe we can do better. Mitch is an elite pick and roll defender, elite rim protector; he’s an elite offensive rebounder — those are things that are critical.”
Peaks and valleys
A year after finishing 50-32 and as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are currently on pace to finish with an even better record and perhaps their best since 2012-13 when they finished 54-28.
However, New York has lost two in a row to the two teams above them in the standings — the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. In fact, the Knicks have now gone 0-7 this season against Cleveland, Boston and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the top-3 teams in the NBA.
“It’s a long season that has a lot of peaks and valleys,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “Even for us, having a season where we’re winning at an all-time pace, we’re still finding ourselves in those valleys and trying to figure out who we are and how we can be better as a team and how we can be the best version of ourselves.
“Bringing joy to the locker room, not losing the major factor in all of this — that this is fun. While it’s a job, it’s good to have fun at your job too and enjoy what you’re doing.”
New York will have a good opportunity to put an end to the mini losing streak on Wednesday against the struggling Philadelphia 76ers who have lost eight in a row. But even if they do, questions about the Knicks’ resilience against top-tier opponents will persist.
“We understand we have certain expectations on us and we want to fulfill those and also exceed them,” Towns said. “… We stay confident in this locker room, we continue to move forward, we continue to find ourselves getting better every single day and we’re hoping that we can be the best version of ourselves and this team when it’s playoff time and when the time is needed.”
Having lost to the Celtics on Sunday, Towns called the last two days of practice a good chance to reset, saying, “That’s how you find ways to get better.”
New York will certainly need to get better against the upper echelon of teams if it has any intention of getting through the East. Having Robinson back in the lineup will help with that, but it won’t fix everything.
“We all know what we’re supposed to do, but it’s just a communication part of letting (your teammates) know ‘I got you’,” said Cam Payne. “And like I said, it’s just a trust factor in it. We should and need to get better at that and that’s gotta come from me, come from [Jalen Brunson], come from KAT, come from the guys that are older, that have been around and seen things.”
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