Mitchell Robinson (load administration) gained’t play. Josh Hart (lumbar spasms) gained’t both.
It’s the best technique to interpret the coded messaging from Knicks head coach Mike Brown, who revealed for the umpteenth time — this time on the eve of New York’s season opener towards the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Sq. Backyard on Wednesday — that neither participant participated in workforce follow.
Hart hasn’t performed or practiced since struggling decrease again spasms through the Oct. 2 preseason opener in Abu Dhabi towards the Philadelphia 76ers. Robinson, in the meantime, has been sidelined for the reason that first half of the Oct. 9 matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Each will sit Wednesday, marking three weeks of inactivity for Hart and roughly two weeks for Robinson, whom the Knicks are “load-managing” after recovering final season from twin surgical procedures to restore stress fractures in his left ankle.
“With Mitch we have to be smart, and that’s what’s part of load management,” Brown defined after follow Tuesday. “Simply because he could possibly play tonight, that doesn’t essentially imply I’m gonna play him or I’m gonna follow him.
“It’s load management, which means that if we deemed it necessary, could he possibly go? Yeah, he could possibly go. But it’s a decision that myself, led by [Knicks VP of Sports Medicine] Casey [Smith], makes on a daily basis, and it’ll be like this the whole year.”
Robinson was on the facility engaged on free throws as follow wrapped up — a constructive signal for his availability. Hart, nevertheless, was absent, and the Knicks are continuing with heightened warning given the character of his non-contact again damage.
“[Mitch] missed a lot of games last year, and we just want to be cautious going forward with him, that’s about the extent of it right there,” Brown mentioned. “Josh is slightly completely different than Mitch. You noticed in Abu Dhabi when he went down, he didn’t get touched. So we’re making an attempt to determine his again, which is a tough scenario.
“So we have to be careful with it. We don’t want to rush him, but we’ll be patient and figure it out as we go along. Casey and those guys do a great job. We believe in them so we’ll be sticking to their plan.”
The early setbacks go away Brown shorthanded as he prepares to debut his new system. Robinson anchors New York’s beginning lineup alongside Karl-Anthony Cities, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson — but logged solely 44 preseason minutes, all in first-half stretches, earlier than the Knicks successfully shut him down. Hart performed simply seven minutes within the Abu Dhabi opener earlier than exiting in ache.
The absences didn’t finish there: Anunoby missed the primary and final two preseason video games with separate hand and ankle accidents, and Cities sat the ultimate two contests whereas recovering from a quad subject.
It’s hardly the perfect lead-in for a workforce making an attempt to overtake each its offensive and defensive identities to match Brown’s up-tempo, read-and-react imaginative and prescient, nevertheless it’s the hand the Knicks have been dealt.
And on Wednesday, they’ll need to play their playing cards the perfect they will.
“It’s a great question ‘cause that’s the tricky part, and hopefully I can help them as best as possible,” Brown mentioned after Tuesday’s follow. “This was gonna be a process anyway. Now you factor it in with time being missed, and it’s gonna be a little bit longer because of the time being missed. … You’ve gotta find your way, and it’s gonna take a little bit more time than what it would take if you were there the whole time.”
Brown mentioned his greatest aim heading into the opener is conserving the workforce composed if issues go left early into the season.
“Everybody’s human and guys are gonna get frustrated and when guys are frustrated, you usually hit some adversity, because they’re human,” he mentioned. “So they may go this manner or that means, so early on, it’s gonna be — beginning with me — all of our jobs to carry one another accountable whereas embracing the method.
“The process isn’t gonna happen overnight. It’s gonna take some time. So if a guy does go this way or that way, just trying to pull him back in and keep everybody together while we figure out what needs to happen on the floor on both ends.”
ALL-IN, BOUGHT-IN
Mikal Bridges’ first impressions of his new head coach? Real admiration — and respect for the way shortly Brown has earned the room.
“I think it’s tough to get 15 to 17 guys to all follow one voice, and especially nowadays where a lot of guys are getting paid a lot of money and they can tend to act like they don’t need a coach or anything like that,” Bridges mentioned after follow in Tarrytown on Tuesday. “We can be prima donnas and divas a little bit, but for him to be able to get a whole group to follow him. He’s done a great job.”
Bridges is aware of what robust management seems to be like. He performed beneath Corridor of Famer Jay Wright at Villanova and later beneath Monty Williams in Phoenix — each coaches recognized for demanding construction and accountability.
He sees those self same qualities in Brown.
“He has that voice and it makes you not wanna mess up. It makes you wanna play as hard as you can, and he gets on you, but in a respectful way,” Bridges continued. “He’s gonna get on you as he should, that’s how I look at it. I had some tough coaches growing up… some guys that’ll let you know what you’re doing where you fear of not doing the right thing. So I think he’s doing a great job and every time he talks and every time he’s explaining something, he does it to the highest level and for our understanding and making sure we know what we’re doing.”
NEXT MAN UP
If Robinson can’t go on opening evening, second-year Knicks massive man Ariel Hukporti is prepared for his second.
“Whatever coach says stands,” Hukporti mentioned after follow on Tuesday. “I’ll go with his word.”
The 22-year-old heart, getting into his second NBA season out of Germany, has spent coaching camp centered on progress — sharpening his contact and persistence beneath the brand new head coach.
“I feel like my floater, I’ve got great touch around the rim, trying to use it more this season,” he mentioned. “And just being more patient around the dunker’s spot and when I get the ball atop the key to make plays.”
Hukporti believes Brown’s system — an up-tempo, movement-heavy offense constructed on tempo and reads — suits his recreation completely.
“I mean, I play fast, too, so that’s a perfect match right here,” he mentioned. “Nah, nah it’s a good team. Y’all see it on paper. It’s a great team. Everybody good. Everybody ready. What do I think about the depth of this team? Personally I think it’s one of the best teams in the league roster wise and on paper.”
The younger massive additionally famous a shift in tradition since Brown changed Tom Thibodeau within the offseason — a extra related, communicative locker room each on and off the court docket.
“Just the ball movement,” he mentioned. “I feel like we’re more together as a team, we’re doing more activities. I’m not even speaking on the court. I’m speaking off the court, as well. We just do more stuff off the court together just to build more team chemistry.”
Initially Printed: October 21, 2025 at 4:44 PM EDT
