Big question now is, what does this mean for the Knicks?
The Knicks have been known to be incredibly coy about giving out updates on their injured players. We’ve seen it for a while now, and most recently, we saw it with Julius Randle and OG Anunoby just last season.
Randle dislocated his shoulder against the Miami Heat, and reporters and fans rarely heard updates about the All-Star forward’s progress. And then one day, out of the blue, it was revealed that he’d need season-ending surgery. Anunoby’s situation was different in many ways, but it was similar in the way his status remained somewhat mysterious until he suddenly needed surgery.
Because of the Knicks’ recent history of being so secretive, it was no surprise that the Knicks had zero updates on Mitchell Robinson, who had off-season foot surgery, for months.
That changed a couple of days ago when Tom Thibodeau revealed that that Robinson was “pretty close” to being cleared for full contact practices. And last night, we got the news that Robinson is now fully cleared for contact.
Mitchell Robinson has been cleared for contact in practice; he isn’t yet cleared for full practice as he still needs to get through some steps before he’s allowed to play in 5-on-5 scrimmages with contact, Tom Thibodeau says. An earlier version of this tweet said Robinson was…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 3, 2025
What this means for the Knicks still remains a mystery.
Robinson could serve as New York’s in-house midseason acquisition. His combination of strength, size, rim protection, and rebounding is not something teams can get easily before the deadline, so adding him to the current roster would give them some much needed boost in the depth department.
Some believe that Robinson won’t even play another game as a Knick, though, with the trade deadline looming on the near horizon. There have been consistent reports that the Knicks are looking to trade Robinson for a player that can stay healthy more reliably. If that is the case, then him being cleared just days before the trade deadline may or may not be a coincidence.
Whether it’s with the Knicks or not, Robinson seems to be inching closer to playing his first game of the season, and that’s a significant update regardless of what the Knicks intend to do with their big man.