Amid a rough stretch of basketball, the New York Knicks have been patiently waiting for Mitchell Robinson to return. That patience has begun to wear thin after disastrous losses to Cleveland and Boston last weekend, but the big man appears to finally be ready to play. The longest-tenured Knick has been a key piece of the hard-nosed defensive culture Tom Thibodeau has instilled in New York. No one is more delighted at his return than the head coach himself, who dropped some hints about Robinson at his latest press conference.
Tom Thibodeau Hinting At New Knicks Starting Lineup
At today’s media session, Tom Thibodeau made waves with some interesting comments about his seven-footer. He said that Robinson has been fully active in practice, taking contact, and looks close to gracing the floor for his debut. Once he gets cleared by the medical staff, Robinson should be back on the court for the first time since Game 1 of the Eastern Semifinals vs. Indiana. However, while good news, the real bombshell was a different statement from the headman.
Thibodeau called Robinson the Knicks’ “starting center”, citing that the team has done a great job through 57 games without their starting big. While this could mean absolutely nothing, and Thibs has a history of making veiled statements to confuse the media, it could be foreshadowing what Robinson’s role will be upon his return. One thing is for sure: Thibodeau loves Big Mitch, as he is the epitome of the identity that he prefers his teams to embody. He’s also the only player who has been in New York the entire time Thibodeau has.
“We’ve gone fifty-something games without our starting center. Guys have done a really good job stepping in. Could we do better? I always believe we can do better.”
– Tom Thibodeau on Mitchell Robinson pic.twitter.com/IFx0hlaKCw
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 25, 2025
Should New York Name Mitchell Robinson Starting Center?
Until Thibodeau lines up his guys for Robinson’s first game back, we have no idea whether this comment means anything. However, we can discuss whether it would be the right move. If he does insert the seven-footer into the starting group, it would likely come at the expense of Josh Hart. Hart has already said he would be happy to come off the bench, even suggesting it on his podcast “Roommates Show“, which he hosts with Jalen Brunson.
In my opinion, the Knicks starting Robinson is a no-brainer. It would give the Knicks a main group of Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Robinson. What jumps out immediately is that New York would suddenly have one of the biggest frontlines in the sport with Anunoby, Towns, and Robinson. That frontcourt is arguably the best rebounding trio in the league with two of the most dominant on the glass.
They would also match up extremely well defensively with any team in the league from a size and strength standpoint. Bridges is an oversized two-guard who can check the best ball-handler. Anunoby can guard the opponent’s prime scoring forward, Towns can take their bigger wing, and Robinson can guard their center. There would be an endless amount of resistance in the paint, regardless of the matchup. NY can use this size against Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Boston. Furthermore, NY wouldn’t lose much on the perimeter, as Hart is more of a defensive playmaker than a lockdown on-ball defender.
Robinson Starting Wouldn’t Hurt the Knicks’ Offense Much
The obvious initial reaction to starting Robinson is that it would hurt New York’s prolific offense. While I can see the rationale for that argument, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Hart is an excellent playmaker, transition attacker, and tough shotmaker, but he’s a flawed offense player. His inconsistent jumper allows teams to sag off of him forcing Brunson and Towns to help in the paint. Spacing is perhaps the most important concept in today’s league, and Hart is just as damaging to New York’s space as Robinson, especially when he’s slumping from deep.
Additionally, Robinson gives the Knicks vertical spacing, an underrated skill. Robinson dunks everything around the rim, forcing rim protectors to make a choice between a Brunson floater and an easy lob dunk when he gets downhill. Brunson has the best float game in the league, so it’s a no-win situation for defenses. We saw just last year how dominant Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving were with lob threats like Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively on their way to the NBA Finals. Lastly, Hart’s best skill is offensive rebounding, at which Robinson happens to be even better than he is.
Mitchell Robinson starting in place of a stud like Hart may seem unnecessary, but it will certainly help the Knicks. Hart would still play over 30 minutes a night and would terrorize teams off the bench. New York’s biggest problem against elite teams has been defense, and this at least fixes some of those issues.
Photo credit: © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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