New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson returned from a three-plus month absense back in late-March due to an ankle injury that required surgery.
The defensive-minded center had done everything possible to work his way back into the Knicks’ rotation and play a big role off the bench.
That came out in droves during New York’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Despite playing limited minutes, he performed well defensively against Joel Embiid.
Unfortuntely, Robinson will now be sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs. The Knicks announced on Tuesday that the center suffered a stress injury to his left ankle and will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.
The injury came in New York’s Game 1 win over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday.
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- Mitchell Robinson stats (2023-24): 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 58% shooting
Robinson, 26, is considered one of the better low-post defenders in the game. He’s averaged north of eight rebounds per game in each of the past four seasons.
With Robinson sidelined, the Knicks are going to be relying even more on starter Isaiah Hartenstein to do his thing at center. He’s more of your offensive-minded big as evidenced by this one shot in Game 1 against Indiana.
New York will host Indiana in Game 2 of their series Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET on TNT.