The New York Knicks intend to ease Mitchell Robinson into his regular role in the lineup following his return in their 114-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Knicks: Mitchell Robinson to be held to an 18-minute restriction
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Robinson had this to say about his playing time moving forward:
“[The limit] goes up,” Robinson said. “[Friday] was just 12. I think it was supposed to be about 18. But 12 is fine.”
Robinson also spoke highly of Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau in deploying him with confidence in the win:
“[It shows Thibodeau] trusts me,” Robinson said. “I had been out 10 months and put me in a big possession to get a stop, it shows that he trusts me. He still rocks with me.”
Robinson can elevate Knicks’ defense in limited action
The 26-year-old made the most of his 12 minutes against the Grizzlies. He scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in the victory.
Given he was up against Memphis’ imposing frontcourt, that goes to show the impact that Robinson can have, even in limited time. The Florida native hadn’t played all season prior to the Grizzlies matchup after recovering from foot surgery last offseason.
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Robinson’s 58-game absence did not come with much rust to shake off. Nevertheless, such a lengthy time away from the court will necessitate that the coaching staff err on the side of caution with him.
Further, Robinson has only played in 91 of a possible 223 games over the last three campaigns running due to various ailments. Thus, in order to not exacerbate his injury-proneness, the Knicks are wise to keep him at that 18-minute threshold before he likely returns to seeing his customary 24 minutes a night.