Knicks excited about possibly getting Mitchell Robinson back this season
Heat center Bam Adebayo, left and Heat forward Caleb Martin try to box out Knicks center Mitchell Robinson during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden on May 2, 2023. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
DALLAS — The Knicks entered Thursday night’s game with a five-game winning streak and the optimism that Mitchell Robinson will be back before the season ends to help their postseason chances.
The NBA denied the Knicks' application for the $7.8 Disabled Player Exception on Wednesday that would have come if the league doctors felt he would be out until mid-June. And that has provided a boost to the hopes that he can return this season after undergoing ankle surgery on December 12.
“It’s very important,” Jalen Brunson said. “He’s a huge part of what we do. I think him being healthy, a hundred percent healthy is a really big thing for us when he comes back. Not to rush back. But that’s definitely exciting news.”
“I’m excited for him,” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “The process is not easy, any injury — especially for that long, is always hard. But having the hope that at the end of the season he can come back and still contribute to a team is big for him. I think we’re excited that it’s moving forward like that. We just want to keep supporting him through the process and make sure when he comes back it’s right and we’re not forcing him.”
Hartenstein has been a huge factor in the Knicks success as they play through Robinson’s absence — averaging 7.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in 11 games as a starter. The two have become close friends with Robinson regularly texting or calling after games as he rehabilitates.
“He wants to come back before the season ends, but you never know with injuries like that, if there’s a setback, if it goes better than expected,” Hartenstein said. “So that’s kind of where he was at. I think it’s something good for him, a point where he can strive to. So I’m excited for him. I think it’s going to help him be more optimistic about the whole situation.”
“To me you take the information you have and you deal with it accordingly,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “As we mentioned earlier, after he had the surgery we knew we had to wait eight to 10 weeks to get more information and so we’re about halfway there now. Once we get to that point we’ll have more information and we’ll have a clearer plan.”
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.
