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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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Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Win Most Improved Player of the Year

This is always a difficult thing to predict because you can never tell which players he would have to compete against. People can speculate and say that a player is primed for a breakout season, but until you see it, you don’t know who the contenders are for the award. Speculation is great, and all but seeing the talent that a player has and being able to tell if they’re going to make a drastic jump is something that I can see in Robinson.

Firstly, he told reporters during the Summer League that he’s working on his overall jump shot. Could you imagine a 7’1 Shot Blocking, Pick and Roll oriented big man developing a 15-foot jump shot? If he’s able to consistently knock down a mid-range jumper this year even at a 20 to 30 Percent Clip, not only will he make the Knicks a more threatening team offensively, he’ll make himself one of the most versatile players in the NBA.

Defensively, when he gets switched onto a guard, he holds his own and has made a lot of significant improvements when defending the quicker player. There are certain clips and highlights where he’s able to keep up with guards running downhill from the three-point line into the paint, or he’s ready to straight-up guard them on the three-point line and sometimes get a blocked shot. This is something that could make him an elite three-tier defender if he’s able to polish it.

Outside of the shot-blocking, his Pick and Roll was arguably the strongest part of his game. It looked good last season, but it looked dominant in the Summer League and the rare clips we saw of him practicing with Team USA. With high IQ level players like RJ Barrett and Trae Young passing him the ball in Pick and Roll situations this summer, he was catching a lot more alley-oops and getting a lot more opportunities to create offense for him and his teammates. All of these are parts of his game that he’s been working on this offseason and if he can consistently implement them on a nightly basis, he’ll be a front runner for Most Improved Player and possibly win the award.

Next. The Knicks are in better shape than the Lakers. dark

Overall, Robinson is on a fast track to success; he’s got everything you want in a Center minus the jumper which he’s working on. Regardless of how he progresses or if he’s able to accomplish any of these goals, he’s going to be a high-level player in the NBA sooner rather than later. 2018 was a great NBA Draft, but he could go down as the steal of the draft if he hasn’t already and could easily become one of the best Centers in the league within a few years. Knicks fans, you got yourself a gem, hold onto him, and you could be seeing one of the most exceptional Knicks Centers outside of Patrick Ewing when all is said and done.

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