Mitchell Robinson Injury Update is Incredible News for Knicks Fans
The New York Knicks reinforcements are on the way as the first of their three injured players is returning. Mitchell Robinson is set to return from an ankle injury that caused him to miss 50 games. At the time of Robinson's injury, he was leading the NBA with an average of 5.3 offensive rebounds per game while his 10.3 rebounds per game was a career high.
This season Robinson is averaging 6.2 points, 10.3 boards, 0.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
The return of Robinson should elevate an already dominant Knicks defense as the playoffs slowly approach. The Knicks' defense has been great despite the absences of Robinson, OG Anunoby and Julius Randle, holding eight of their last ten opponents under 100 points. Robinson will bring elite defense at the rim while allowing Isaiah Hartenstein a breather as he's playing around 25 minutes per game.
The Knicks currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference just half a game behind the Cavs for the 3rd seed and 2.5 games behind the Bucks for the second seed in the East with eleven games remaining before the playoffs. The Knicks should try and push for the second seed avoiding a dominant Celtics team until a potential Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks Just Need to Get Healthy
The most important thing for the Knicks right now is returning to full health ahead of the playoffs. Fully healthy this Knicks team may be the best in the league defensively while if they're injured like they are now they have zero chance of winning the NBA Finals. OG Anunoby and Julius Randle's status is still unclear as there is no set timetable for either Knicks star's return. If Julius Randle and OG Anunoby return before the playoffs the Knicks have a solid chance at an Eastern Conference Finals while without the duo the Knicks will be on upset watch early on.
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