Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson expected to be out until midseason

The Knicks’ championship run and already-shallow front court depth takes a big hit.

On Monday afternoon, Ian Begley of SNY reported that Robinson wouldn’t be ready for the start of the season, stating, “The Knicks and Robinson don’t want to rush the rehab process and are targeting a December/January return date, per sources. Robinson and the Knicks are being cautious and want to make sure he is 100 percent healthy before he gets back. New York is confident in the depth and versatility of the roster until Robinson returns.”

When Isaiah Hartenstein was thrust into the starting lineup last season, he emerged as an incredibly valuable piece and arguably became a top-five center in the league. Offensively, he was pivotal as a playmaking hub, especially when opposing teams blitzed Jalen Brunson. Defensively, he turned into one of the best rim protecting centers in the league. And his rebounding on both sides of the ball was a crucial part of the Knicks’ identity. Hartenstein was so good in fact, that many fans around the league forgot the kind of impact Mitchell Robinson had on the team in the months prior to his injury.

Those fans though, were reminded very quickly in the first round of the playoffs when it was Robinson, not Hartenstein, that gave Joel Embiid the most problems. In game one of the hard-fought series, Robinson put on a defensive masterclass on his way to eight points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks with a plus-minus of +20. And throughout the series, Robinson utilized his length, strength, anticipation, and motor to continuously pester and annoy Embiid. And it led to the superstar center looking uncomfortable and frustrated on many occasions.

Robinson’s postseason was unceremoniously and abruptly ended due to a major ankle injury. Knicks fans were justifiably mad, but also sad for the homegrown talent who had continuously fought through injuries over the last couple of seasons. But knowing that Robinson was still on the team was a big part of why Knicks fans continued to believe and be optimistic about this team despite the departure of Hartenstein this summer.

That optimism was put on hold this afternoon though. While the big man will eventually return and should still be a key part of the Knicks’ season, it’s now being reported that we’ll have to wait a bit longer than initially expected to see him back on the court.

This isn’t a season-ending (re)injury and fans needn’t panic too much. Robinson is still scheduled to return before the All-Star break, and we’ve seen Tom Thibodeau and these Knicks weather plenty of injuries with their cliche but effective, “next man up” approach. And this shouldn’t spell the end of what should still be a very strong and exciting season for the Knicks. But New York will miss Robinson’s rim protection, and rebounding on both sides of the ball. And given the current status of the Knicks’ frontcourt depth, this is still concerning.

Analysts, reporters, and fans were already worried about the team’s center position, and now they’ll likely have to survive the first couple of months without their starting center. As of now, Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims are the only centers on the roster and they will be asked to step up in a major way. And that duo, no offense to them, does not sound like one that will help the Knicks contend for a title.

This now has fans and many around the league wondering if this will be what ultimately pushes the Knicks to trade for a center like Walker Kessler or Nick Richards. Or if it will mean more minutes at the five for Julius Randle and OG Anunoby than initially planned.

Unfortunately, we may not know the answers to those questions for a while.