Defense wins championships. Almost every NBA champion has a capable defense. Take the 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder, who had a historically stingy defense in comparison to the league environment. While the Pacers pushed them to the brink in the NBA Finals, and they got a scare from Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the second round, they were a dominant force all season long:
Unfortunately, the Knicks will not have a top-shelf defense. That’s pretty impossible when your two offensive focal points, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are two of the worst defenders at their positions (for one reason or another). Still, the team can manage to sit around 10th in defensive rating and be able to win it all, just like the 2021 Bucks and 2023 Nuggets, but they’ll need the few excellent defenders on the roster to be healthy.
Deuce McBride is a great point-of-attack defender, and OG Anunoby is one of the premier defensive wings in basketball, but the key to the Knicks’ defense could be in their oft-injured backup center, Mitchell Robinson.
There are many things that can be said about Robinson. He is the longest tenured Knick, he’s one of the best offensive rebounders in all of basketball, he gets injured too much, etc etc. The predicament the Knicks are in is that not only is Robinson one of the team’s most important players despite frequently missing extended time, but his contract situation is as murky as possible.
Mitchell Robinson had the lowest defensive rating of any Knicks player who played at least 200 minutes in the playoffs. In the regular season, he outpaced all but Cam Payne and Landry Shamet in defensive rating. Despite a minimal gas tank that limited how much the Knicks could lean on him in the playoffs, he had some of the most impactful minutes. He was a key force all postseason in slowing down the excellent Boston and Indiana offenses. In each of the last three postseasons, you could make the case that Robinson is one of the MVPs of series that the Knicks win. Cleveland in 2023, Philly in 2024, Detroit and Boston in 2025. His ability to shatter the will of opponents with his domination on the offensive glass is remarkable.
Still, there are concerns about Robinson beyond his frequent unavailability. Of course, despite what his offseason workouts say, there’s the fact that he’s attempted a grand total of two shots outside the paint in his career, making him a bad fit if the Knicks look to maximize offense with five-out spacing. He’s also still a horrific free-throw shooter, and although he appeared to be working on it and making improvements, he folded under the Hack-A-Mitch being endlessly used by Joe Mazzulla in the playoffs to limit his impact. He did make six in a row at one point, though.
However, the No. 1 thing that will define Big Mitch this season will once again be his health. If he can play in the ballpark of 60 games, something he’s done four times in his career, he’ll be ready for a larger workload when the games really count. The big issue is if he sustains a long-term injury that either threatens his postseason status or, for the third year in a row, limits his conditioning. His ankle injury in December 2023 and subsequent re-aggravation in the playoffs led to him playing just 48 games combined in the last two seasons. That’s just untenable.
This’ll be a big year for Robinson, but not for the fact that he can contribute to a real contender after finally having a healthy offseason. He’s due to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason after his eighth season in the orange and blue, and it’s not an easy decision for either side. The Knicks don’t have much financial flexibility, and with the second apron likely inevitable anyway, letting Robinson walk for nothing would be devastating. On the other hand, can they really pay the market rate for an impactful, but oft-injured big? What if he asks for another multi-year deal at a higher AAV than his last contract? Can they afford to say no? Is a trade on the table? These questions will define Robinson’s season.
Lastly, his role is in question. I called him our backup center in the opening, but he could be starting on Opening Night. Mike Brown hasn’t tipped his hand on how he would handle the starting five next season, but Robinson will be in contention with the incumbent Josh Hart, the aforementioned Deuce McBride, and maybe Guerschon Yabusele in certain looks. Of course, if he does start, he’d have the shortest leash of the bunch to keep him healthy. Is Ariel Hukporti more likely to see minutes in a double big system? We’ll have to wait and see.
Alright, let’s set some goals. Robinson didn’t hit many of mine last year, but that’s partially because they slow-played his return to an extreme degree. I only have two of them, as the range of possible outcomes with him is smaller than most players, but I’d still love to see both accomplished:
Play 60 Games + Be Healthy for April
Let’s avoid a long-term injury. That’s a goal for every player, but for Mitch, he badly needs a healthy season. In every sport, we see players repeatedly endure lower-body injuries and wonder when the breaking point will be. At some point, you just endure too much strain on your lower body, and it permanently hurts your athleticism. Think Giancarlo Stanton in MLB, who was a great outfielder with solid speed before his string of soft tissue injuries that began in 2019, which turned him into a DH and rendered him the speed of a senior citizen.
Robinson’s rookie year burst is already visually limited, but he has plenty left in the tank. For his sake, he doesn’t want to get any closer to the tipping point. Load manage him on back-to-backs, manage his minutes, keep him healthy.
Attempt a Three-Pointer
I don’t care. Until I see it happen, I will keep asking him to do it. He has never attempted a three-point shot in his career. He has played, by far, the most minutes in the NBA without an attempt since entering the league. Hell, if you go back to 2003, Robinson has 1,000 more minutes than the next-closest player. I just want to see one. Do it in the fourth quarter of a game already decided. Thibs isn’t here anymore; he won’t yell at you for it, I promise.
