The Knicks could stand to hunt Mitchell Robinson, the team’s biggest vertical threat, more frequently than they’ve done in the first season under new head coach Mike Brown. But there’s been a noticeable uptick in the team’s willingness to hit their blue-collar big man on rolls to the rim, which is opening an underutilized dimension of an offense that stagnated in the weeks leading up to their back-to-back wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.
Robinson has three or more made field goals in six of his last seven games. He had 12 points and 14 rebounds in 19 minutes in the loss to the Dallas Mavericks and put pressure on the rim while helping hold Joel Embiid scoreless in the third quarter of Saturday’s win in Philadelphia.
Robinson agrees — to an extent — the team has done a better job of finding him in pick-and-roll scenarios and on cuts to the rim. He is averaging 4.9 points per game on the season but 6.9 over his last seven games.
“Ehh. A little here and there. But I tell them when we’re watching film, look here: I’m wide open. Throw it to me,” he said after posting six points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the win over the Sixers. “I do a lil dirty work so reward me. That’s kinda how that is.”
Brown says targeting Robinson on his rolls and cuts helps swing opposing defenses’ physicality into New York’s favor.
“Whoever’s guarding Mitch is aggressive,” he explained. “And so if teams keep stepping up and trying to be aggressive on the ball screens, Mitch has to get out quick and he’s gotta look for it at the rim.”
The Knicks hadn’t done a good job of incorporating Robinson’s athletic abilities into the offense to start the year. He has more unassisted field goals (36) than assisted (32), which means he is scoring more off of offensive rebounding, which he does at a league-best rate, than from teammates seeking him when he’s open cutting to the basket.
Robinson, however, has seven assisted field goals over his last seven games, representing a noticeable shift in the team seeking its high-flying big man. Josh Hart said finding Robinson should have been an emphasis a long time ago.
“He can set good screens and obviously is a lob threat, so we’ve got to make sure we utilize that, and when you utilize that, then you cause some of that indecision in terms of the ball handling, the ball screen and the communication and that allows the ball handler to get downhill with those kinds of things,” Hart said on Saturday. “So that’s something that we should have looked at, looked for him more at the beginning of the year, but I think we’re doing a good job with it now.”
Robinson appreciates the newfound touches, but he knows his chief responsibilities come in the gray area: cleaning the glass, defending the paint and chasing down 50/50 balls. At 4.9 offensive rebounds in under 20 minutes a game — or what amounts to nine offensive boards per 36 minutes — the Knicks’ big man can feed himself, and tip-ins, unassisted layups and putback dunks make up the majority of his shot diet.
The Knicks are rewarding him, now more than ever, for his effort in the columns that don’t count points. Robinson has a team-high six Defensive Player of the Game honors this season and has anchored the paint as he’s done since the Knicks drafted the southern-born seven-footer with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“He does this every night. He’s a special player. No one like him in the league,” said OG Anunoby. “His impact is felt every night in many different ways, so this is a usual night for him.”
“I think he did a really good job in terms of forcing the tough shots or denying him those kinds of things,” Hart added after the win in Philly. “So it’s not surprising. We’ve seen it so many times, and he’s got to continue it.”
