Knicks' Mitchell Robinson likely done for season after injury to left ankle
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson looks on against the Nets at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 12, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Knicks lost another key piece of their rotation Tuesday as tests revealed that Mitchell Robinson suffered a stress injury to his left ankle and will be out for at least the next six weeks.
Robinson will not undergo surgery, instead beginning rehabilitation work and is expected to be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, likely signaling an end to his season. Robinson was clearly laboring in Monday’s win, playing just 12 minutes. He joined the team for a walk-through and film work Tuesday before undergoing tests later in the afternoon that revealed the injury.
Robinson, who had surgery on Dec. 11 for a stress fracture to the ankle, sat out 50 straight games before returning to play in 10 of the last 11 games of the regular season. He then suffered another injury to the ankle in Game 3 of the opening round of the playoffs when Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid collided with him — forcing him to miss Game 4. He returned for the last two games of that series, but played sparingly Monday in Game 1 against Indiana.
Robinson played 25 and 17 minutes in the last two games of the opening round of the playoffs and was effective playing against Joel Embiid, but struggled Monday to move with the Pacers’ big men more perimeter-oriented players.
The Knicks already have been playing shorthanded without Julius Randle, who suffered a season-ending injury in January and Bojan Bogdanovic, who underwent foot surgery after being injured in the series against Philadelphia.
Next in line to get minutes is Precious Achiuwa, who played just four minutes Monday and not at all in the last two games against Philadelphia. Isaiah Hartenstein, who was on a minutes restriction late in the season, played 36 minutes Monday.
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.
