DALLAS — Mitchell Robinson nonetheless isn’t logging heavy minutes — however Knicks head coach Mike Brown insists the workload is climbing.
Robinson performed 18 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Miami Warmth, New York’s fourth straight street defeat, however Brown pushed again on the concept that his beginning middle is caught in a tough cap.
“It’s increased. It’s gone up three times,” Brown stated postgame. “And again, it’s all part of the load management thing. So it’s not necessarily a [minutes] restriction.”
Robinson performed 20 minutes in his Halloween season debut in Chicago however hasn’t topped 18 in any of his six video games since. Brown stated the seven-footer can play extra, however the Knicks are following the load-management plan designed by vice chairman of sports activities medication Casey Smith and his employees.
“He could play 27 minutes,” Brown stated. “I threw [Guerschon Yabusele] in because [Karl-Anthony Towns] picked up early fouls and Yabu was playing well. I didn’t go back to Mitch because of that — but he’s definitely in the 20s.”
It has been an extended runway again for Robinson, who underwent two procedures to restore stress fractures in his left ankle two summers in the past. He arrived at coaching camp wholesome however was pulled from a preseason sport on Oct. 9 and held out three weeks earlier than debuting in Chicago.
The expectation is Robinson received’t play in all video games of arduous stretches or each legs of back-to-backs this season. However Brown has pushed again on the concept Robinson will probably be out and in of the lineup indefinitely.
“I’m not sure about that,” he stated on Nov. 12, after resting Robinson in Memphis. “We’ve gotta take it one game at a time and follow what the medical people tell us.”
Even then, Brown stated Robinson’s cadence was already trending upward.
“He can go longer with his stretches. He can go longer with his minutes now than before,” Brown stated. “It’s constantly on the rise, based on what Casey and his group tell us night in and night out.”
Robinson is averaging 3.9 factors, 9 rebounds and one block in 16.6 minutes per sport. He leads the NBA with 12.5 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes and grabbed eight offensive boards in simply 14 minutes in Friday’s win over Miami.
“Freaking Mitchell Robinson! Oh my God!” Brown shouted that evening. “Eight freaking offensive rebounds! Way to go Mitch!”
That is additionally a contract yr for Robinson, who can change into an unrestricted free agent this summer season if no settlement is reached throughout the season.
