The New York Knicks have badly missed Mitchell Robinson this season. The seven-footer has yet to appear in a game as he continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery With the trade deadline less than a month away, the Knicks will have to decide soon if they want to trade or keep Robinson.
Knicks and other teams monitoring Mitchell Robinson’s rehab status
Steve Popper of Newsday noted that the Knicks and other teams are monitoring his rehab progress to see how likely it is that he will return to the court soon before making an offer. The Knicks, meanwhile, have a few tradeable assets in the frontcourt and are hesitant to do anything until they understand Robinson’s outlook for the season:
“The Knicks certainly know better than anyone what his status is,” Popper said. “But speaking with league sources, other teams have little faith that he’s not a risk without seeing him on the floor and that risk is the same for the Knicks and for other teams.”
Robinson has dealt with numerous lower-body injuries throughout his career. He missed 51 regular season games and a good portion of the playoffs with an ankle injury and has played more than 70 games just once in his seven-year career.
When healthy, Robinson is a force on the interior, blocking shots at a high rate while also being a top offensive rebounder. The Knicks need both of those, as they rank toward the bottom in overall rim protection stats and are a below-average rebounding team. Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sins have been the backup centers with Robinson out, but they have failed to provide the same on-court impact Robinson provides.
The Knicks will have a tough decision to make about Robinson
Health is the one thing that has slowed down Robinson, which becomes an even greater concern given that he is getting paid $15 million this season. The Knicks do have holes to fill on the bench, as they are the worst-scoring bench unit in the NBA and have clear depth issues behind the starting five.
Robinson is easily their most valuable trade asset, but the Knicks need to decide if it is the right decision to part ways with him to address the lack of depth. Other teams are seeming to play a more patient approach as they await more information on his status for this season.
The trade deadline is set for Feb. 6, so New York will have to begin weighing their options and choosing the best direction for the betterment of the team.