Knicks appreciate Mitchell Robinson's extra effort on the court
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) vie for a ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Mike Stewart
NEW ORLEANS — Back in Louisiana, not far from Chalmette, where he grew up and still has a home, this is the one place where Mitchell Robinson seems fully noticed. Family and friends make the ride to Smoothie King Center and you see Robinson jerseys, a rarity even at Madison Square Garden.
It is a strange existence — to be a starter for the Knicks in the biggest market in the NBA, to play a team-high 38 minutes in the Knicks’ win in Atlanta on Friday night, and to do it almost unnoticed, it seems.
But Friday in particular and most nights in general, Robinson seems to do everything that doesn’t place him in the spotlight. The boxscore numbers were there — 13 rebounds, six offensive, four blocks and four steals. He seemed to play like an excited child, leaping at every pass or shot around the rim, deflecting entry passes, getting a hand on or altering nearly every effort by the Hawks to get the ball inside.
“I think to his teammates, the people in our organization, there’s a great appreciation because oftentimes, there’s not really a stat for that,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And it’s so vital to the team. That’s what makes everything go. So the rim protection, and then offensively the screening, and then rolling to the rim, force the defense to collapse. That’s unselfishness. And when you do that, you’re making a commitment to the team. So I know his teammates appreciate him, and certainly the coaches and our entire organization, front office. He has great value.”
“Yeah,” RJ Barrett said, “I was talking about it earlier — 13 boards, four blocks, things like that. You tend to overlook him sometimes but those things are huge.”
Flip-flop?
Jalen Brunson was called for an unsportsmanlike-conduct technical foul for an alleged flop on Wednesday, which brought an admission from the officials a day later that they had erred and should have awarded Brunson three free throws. But Brunson hasn’t gotten off completely. The NBA fined him $2,000 for a flopping violation on Friday night.
“I don’t know,” Brunson said. “I know game one [Jayson] Tatum’s foot was under mine. The second time I landed on one foot, tried to catch my balance and fell. I mean, tonight wasn’t called. No one’s ever going to be perfect. Just got to go out there and continue to play.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
