Knicks center Mitchell Robinson will miss 4-6 weeks after fracturing his hand during Friday night’s win against the Washington Wizards.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski later confirmed that Mitchell Robinson will undergo surgery after fracturing the fourth metacarpal in his right hand.
The news is a tough blow for the Knicks and for Robinson, who left the game in the middle of his best half of the season. He had a double-double in the first half against the Wizards and had to exit due to injury with 10 points and 14 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action.
“It was probably the best first half of the year for him,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “Obviously we know how important he is to the team and anytime someone gets hurt you feel for him.”
Coach Thibs named Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson as two players who will have to step up in Mitch’s absence. He knows those two will have to work together to fill the defensive void that Mitch’s injury brings.
Small ball lineups coming?
Robinson’s injury might mean that fans will finally get to see coach Thibs mess around with some small ball lineups.
He said that there are a number of different things he can do. He can throw Obi Toppin out there at center or go smaller with guys like Kevin Knox and Julius Randle.
“I like the way Obi’s coming on. He’s giving us good minutes, so we have that option,” Thibs said. “We can downsize and we can play Kevin at the four, and play Julius at five. There’s a number of things that we can do.”
“But anytime you lose a player of Mitch’s caliber, we have to make sure we’re playing hard. You don’t replace a guy like that individually, we have to do it collectively. Everyone’s going to have to step up.”
The Knicks are back in New York for a home game against the Houston Rockets. Keep an eye on who coach Thibs throws out there at center in the wake of Mitch’s injury. Also, expect Knicks general manager Scott Perry to have his eyes on Rockets guard Victor Oladipo, who he had a hand in drafting in Orlando and has been a potential trade target for the Knicks.
