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New York Knicks: 5 realistic goals for Mitchell Robinson

By James Kattato

Mitchell Robinson #26 of the New York Knicks celebrates the win over the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden on April 07, 2019 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 113-110.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Mitchell Robinson #26 of the New York Knicks celebrates the win over the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden on April 07, 2019 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 113-110.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Make an All-Defensive Team

The competition for either of these teams is incredibly stiff considering the other leading candidates are players like Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gobert, and Paul George. It’ll be a tough test for Robinson who’s only going into his second year but if anyone can sneak onto a team, it can certainly be him.

It’s no surprise that Robinson is a defensive force, fourth in the league in total blocks (161) and second in the league in Blocks Per Game (2.4). Considering it was only his Rookie season, Knicks fans are looking forward to seeing possibly the franchise’s greatest defensive Center develop right before their eyes. I know it’s high praise for such a young player, but this kid recorded the highest Block Average by a Rookie since Tim Duncan did it in 1997-98. I’m not saying he’s the next Mr. Fundamental he has a long way to go until he gets to be in the same stratosphere, but he’s making great leaps already.

One of the biggest concerns surrounding Robinson during his rookie season was his foul trouble. Last year, he committed 145 total fouls (2.19 per game). Despite those numbers, he deserves credit for limiting the total fouls he accumulated in the second half of the season. Over the last 11 games of his rookie year, he piled up 39 fouls and didn’t foul out once. Due to his consistency on the court, he had five double-doubles in those 11 games and a near 20-20 performance with 19 Points and 21 Rebounds. In that span, he was great defensively averaging 2.5 Blocks, 1.1 Steals, and only 3.5 Personal Fouls while only playing 29.4 Minutes Per Game.

He’s been able to correct a lot of his mistakes in just one season, and he’s only going to get better. With the amount of talent he has defensively, it wouldn’t surprise me if he found his way on at least the All-Defensive Second team when next season is over.

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