Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Won’t Be Ready For Start Of Season

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson won’t be available at the start of the regular season, according to reports from Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports (Twitter link) and Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Robinson underwent surgery on his left ankle in May to address a stress injury after having undergone a procedure on the same ankle last December. His recovery is ongoing, and both Weitzman and Begley suggest that the Knicks and Robinson are targeting a return in December or January.

Weitzman’s and Begley’s sources say that New York is proceeding cautiously with Robinson’s recovery process, given the troubles that ankle has given him in the last year, and that the team is confident in the “depth and versatility” of its frontcourt, which will have to get by without the Knicks’ starting center for the first couple months of the season.

The Knicks’ depth at center has already been a source of some concern entering the 2024/25 season, given that the club lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and didn’t add a replacement for the big man. Further complicating matters is the fact that Julius Randle is recovering from a surgery of his own (on his shoulder) and isn’t guaranteed to be available for opening night, though his recovery process is believed to be further along than Robinson’s.

When Randle underwent his shoulder procedure in early April, the team announced that he’d be reevaluated in five months, which would be early September. However, the team hasn’t provided any formal update on the three-time All-Star — that update will likely come on Media Day next week.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau has spoken about the possibility of Randle playing some small-ball center this season, but even if Randle is available by opening night, the team will have to lean more heavily on big men like Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa until Robinson is ready to return. It’s also worth noting that Robinson’s unavailability this fall could help give power forward Marcus Morris a leg up on guard Landry Shamet in the battle for the 15th and final spot on the Knicks’ standard roster.

Robinson is an athletic rim-runner and rim protector who holds career averages of 8.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game across 320 career outings (196 starts). He has been impacted by injuries in recent years though, as he has missed 125 of 318 total regular season games and 12 of 29 playoff contests since the start of the 2020/21 season.