Mitchell Robinson's value on boards and on defense goes far beyond boxscore for Knicks
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) and Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) fight for the rebound in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Brynn Anderson
WASHINGTON — With a growing recognition that he has reached new levels in his game, it was suggested to Mitchell Robinson that he could find himself in the discussion for NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors.
He shrugged, replied “Don’t matter to me. I’m good,” and then put his attention back on his phone, putting the discussion behind him.
It would be an unlikely jump for Robinson. He’s been an accomplished defensive player and rebounder since his arrival with the Knicks as a second-round pick in 2018 but has never gotten a single vote — not just no first-place votes, no votes at all — in his career.
This despite finishing in the top 10 in blocked shots in four of his five seasons before this one. He has ranked 11th in defensive rating in the last two seasons and currently is fifth in the NBA.
He was second to Memphis’ Steven Adams in offensive rebounding percentage two years ago, then first last season. This season, he not only is first but is putting up numbers that rank him in historic company.
For context, entering Friday, he was averaging 7.1 offensive rebounds per game — more than the entire Oklahoma City Thunder team. He reached double-figures in rebounding in seven of the Knicks' first 11 games, including one game with 10 offensive boards alone.
“I feel like hustle is a talent, especially in the NBA,” Immanuel Quickley said. “Not everybody plays hard, especially the whole game, and he does that for us. He’s been great. He’s going to continue to get better. And he’s also been in great shape, can play long stints.”
“That’s what Big Fella does,” Julius Randle added. “He might not score all the points, but he does so many things for our team on a day-to-day basis, a game-to-game basis, that helps what we do, helps us get wins. He’s extremely important to what we do.”
The odd thing is that as chatter about Robinson’s accomplishments grows, the obvious hook to his candidacy is declining. He blocked 2.4 shots per game as a rookie, and although his numbers have slipped slightly lower in other years, this season it has fallen all the way to 1.0 block per game. But those who watch him credit a smarter approach defensively, serving as the anchor to what the Knicks do on that end of the court. Blocked shots have been replaced by positioning and deterrence.
“Even if Mitch is not getting the block, he’s impacting shots,” coach Tom Thibodeau said recently. “I think sometimes statistics can be deceiving. Oftentimes people tend to correlate high steals with playing good defense and oftentimes it’s risky gambles that you get to, and you’re breaking the defense down 10 times. So it’s not good, but there seems to be a premium on that.
“And to me, I’m more, play the ball properly, have the appropriate help, read the ball properly, challenge the shots, finish your defense, be disciplined. And I think that’s one of the biggest areas where he’s grown is the discipline that he has. Now he’s not picking up cheap fouls. We’re playing very hard without fouling. So he’s grown in that area tremendously.”
He still may be a long shot for the award, and it’s certainly too early for any sort of predictions. But it seems as if there should be a way for Robinson to get recognition for what he’s doing for the Knicks, the plays that don’t show up in the boxscore, the second-chance opportunities he provides for the team.
When the Knicks beat the Hawks on Wednesday, a key moment in the fourth-quarter comeback arrived when Robinson went to the floor to grab a loose ball and, while falling out of bounds, kicked it to Josh Hart, who swung it to Brunson for a go-ahead three-point field goal.
“He’s able to do that night-in and night-out,” Brunson said. “I think the key play he had was when he dove on the floor and kicked out to Josh for the three. That all starts with Mitch. He does all that stuff. It’s amazing.”
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.
