It has been a slow recovery from offseason ankle surgery for New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who has still not played a game this season. However, it might not be much longer before he makes his long-awaited return to the court.
Mitchell Robinson is close to making a return for the Knicks
Tom Thibodeau said before Saturday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that Robinson is “pretty close” to making a return to full practice, which is the next step in his rehab process, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
The Knicks have missed Robinson’s services badly this season. They have had virtually no intimidating defensive presence on the interior for most of the season, and they also have been missing the offensive rebounding prowess that provides second-chance opportunities for them.
The lack of availability has sparked trade rumors around him as they are in desperate need of more bench depth. They rank last in the league in bench points and have little to no insurance to cover any slack from the starters.
Getting Robinson back on the floor will be huge for the Knicks
However, it is not a guarantee that he will be traded before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and he could be very useful for the Knicks. They will have the flexibility to use him either in the starting five with Karl-Anthony Towns moving over to the power forward position or have him come off the bench as the main backup center.
Regardless, the Knicks will welcome back Robinson with open arms as he could be a massive difference-maker for them. It is unclear if he will return to game action before the All-Star break, but the odds are in his favor as he has made great progress in his recovery in recent weeks.