Mitchell Robinson won't return until December or January for Knicks, source confirms
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
With Knicks training camp just a week away, a league source confirmed that Mitchell Robinson will be sidelined for the start of the regular season with a return not expected until at least December or January.
Robinson still is working his way back from what the team termed “a small procedure” on his left ankle on May 13 after undergoing surgery in December to repair a stress fracture suffered in a game in Boston that month.
The league source said that the team did not want to rush the rehabilitation process and wanted to make sure Robinson will be 100% healthy before having him return to action. While the team is targeting December or January, his return will depend on the rehab.
The Knicks already were entering the season shorthanded at center with Isaiah Hartenstein, who started 49 games last season — and all 13 playoff games — having departed in free agency for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team currently has Jericho Sims as the only true center under contract, with Precious Achiuwa a possible starter or backup. The Knicks were facing the likelihood of utilizing Julius Randle as a small-ball center at times.
The team signed second-round pick Ariel Hukporti to a two-way contract before the Las Vegas Summer League and also signed Marcus Morris Sr. to an Exhibit 9 contract last week, providing possible players to grab a roster spot. The team was at 14 guaranteed contracts before signing Morris and Landry Shamet to the Exhibit 9 deals — training camp contracts that will convert to a veteran minimum deal if they make the team. With Robinson beginning the season on the injured list, both players could get a roster spot out of camp.
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.
