DALLAS — Mitchell Robinson has one priority: being upright when the Knicks need him most.
And if that requires shortened stints, long waits, and an unconventional minutes plan in the meantime, so be it.
“It was [tough mentally] at first,” Robinson said after Wednesday’s shootaround before facing the Orlando Magic. “But after thinking about it a lot — obviously I don’t want to miss no playoffs or later on down in the future. So whatever’s best, we’re just gonna stick to it.”
Robinson entered training camp in September fully cleared after undergoing two left-ankle procedures that wiped out the first half of his 2024–25 season. Then the Knicks pulled him at halftime of their third preseason game and sidelined him three weeks under what they called left ankle load management.
Now he’s operating under a new minutes-distribution plan that limits him to short bursts.
“Getting out there playing hard for my little short minutes and spurts, whatever,” he said. “Just taking it all in.”
Those “spurts” have been choppy. Two-minute stints. Three-minute stretches. No rhythm, no extended run, just quick hits of activity before returning to the bench. And while head coach Mike Brown has publicly insisted Robinson’s workload is rising, the numbers say otherwise: his 16.6 minutes per game are the lowest of his career, and he hasn’t exceeded 18 minutes since his Halloween debut in Chicago.
“Obviously whenever you have short stretches, it’s always tough,” his teammate Josh Hart empathized after shootaround on Wednesday. “Sometimes, the first minute or so is just you getting your body ready and warm and running and doing all those kinds of things. So yeah, it’s tough, but you’ve gotta be able to adapt to situations and kinda figure it out.”
Robinson is trying his best to roll with it — but he knows he’s capable of more if called upon.
“I just continue to play hard,” he said. “And if they need me out there longer, shorter, whatever, I’m just there.”
Brown said after Monday’s loss in Miami that Robinson “could play 27 minutes” and that his plan is not tied to a formal minutes restriction. Robinson called his conditioning “a work in progress.” He didn’t give the 27-minute marker any life.
“I’m just doing what they ask, bro,” he said. “[I can play] whatever they throw me out there for.”
Brown has repeatedly said the plan is trending upward. On Nov. 12, after sitting Robinson in Memphis, he pushed back on the idea his center’s availability would be sporadic all year, even though it’s clear he won’t be playing in both legs of back-to-backs this season.
“I’m not sure about that,” Brown said. “We’ve gotta take it one game at a time and follow what the medical people tell us. He can go longer with his stretches. He can go longer with his minutes now than before. It’s constantly on the rise based on what Casey [Smith] and his group tell us.”
Short spurts and all, Robinson’s mindset hasn’t wavered.
“Just go out there and play hard, do the little things,” he said. “Box-out, offensive rebounding. Everything else is gonna work itself out.”
And the offensive rebounding? Still elite. Robinson once again leads the league, averaging 5.7 offensive boards per game and 12.5 per 36 minutes, putting him on an historic pace despite his limited workload.
“I knew before I got here [via trade] that Mitch was special, and just seeing him every night, it’s amazing,” OG Anunoby said on Oct. 5. “No one can do what he does. He impacts the game in ways that no one else can do. Blocking shots. Just everything he does. He’s amazing defensively, and he helps our team a lot.”
For the Knicks, the overarching goal remains unchanged: keep Robinson intact for the long haul, when the Knicks expect to chase a deep playoff run in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
“Just want to be healthy, ready to play,” Robinson said. “That’s the biggest goal. Keep doing everything right and keep hooping.”
Robinson is averaging 3.9 points, nine rebounds and a block per game. He is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if no extension is reached.
