NEW YORK \u2014 Every team worth mentioning has an All-Star-caliber player, someone who can score in bunches and take over a game. They have a wing who can defend and shoot. They have a center who can block shots and set screens, and maybe shoot.<\/p>\n
Not every team worth mentioning, though, has what the New York Knicks have, and that\u2019s a Mitchell Robinson. The 27-year-old gives New York something that only one other team possesses \u2014 and that\u2019s the Houston Rockets with Steven Adams \u2014 \u00a0which is a center who can transform an offense without scoring a point.<\/p>\n
Robinson is New York\u2019s exclusive weapon. He\u2019s no secret, though. Teams know how dominant he is on the offensive glass. His offensive rebounding is probably third on opposing teams\u2019 scouting report, just under slowing down Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. The veteran has won games with his ability to launch over opposing big men and be the one to grab the ball. The Knicks have won playoff series because of Robinson.<\/p>\n
The latest example of how rare and ridiculous Robinson is came on Christmas Day, in a 126-124 comeback victory for New York over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Robinson entered the game with 7:43 left and the Knicks down by 13. By the 4:09 mark, New York was down by one. In between that time, Robinson had five offensive rebounds that led to a Knicks basket every time. One less board and the Knicks lose. One less second-chance opportunity and New York\u2019s Christmas is spoiled.<\/p>\n
Robinson didn\u2019t score once in that span. Yet, he speared a Knicks comeback \u2026 on offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing it up close and personal like this,\u201d New York coach Mike Brown said. \u201cWith a lot of guys, you see them from afar and think certain things about them like, \u2018He\u2019s this type of player or that type of player. He has this type of attitude, personality.\u2019 But then you get around them and actually see how effective they are in certain areas, even when you don\u2019t think they should be \u2014 at least not that effective \u2014 you\u2019re just like, \u2018Wow!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just can\u2019t teach that. You can talk about technique and playing hard and all the stuff you want, but there\u2019s just some stuff that players have that you can\u2019t teach. I wish I could say I was his rebounding coach, but I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a real possibility this is Robinson\u2019s final year in New York, the place that drafted him eight years ago. He\u2019ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Another team may want to offer him more money or years than the cash-strapped Knicks can. It might not happen, but it is a possibility as things stand now.<\/p>\n
New York, though, shouldn\u2019t even consider moving on from Robinson this season. Not for a second. Even if the business of basketball suggests otherwise and the franchise is afraid to lose him for nothing. Even if both executives and coaches hold their breathes every time the oft-injured big man jumps up for one of his spectacular offensive rebounds. Don\u2019t do it. Roll the dice.<\/p>\n
The Knicks\u2019 goal is to win a championship, as soon as this season. Robinson gives them something that, again, really only one other team has. Robinson alone is an advantage every night. Robinson\u2019s impact is so great that it\u2019s worth seeing where this goes, even if New York has to pay for it seven months from now.<\/p>\n
Offensively, the Knicks are the second best team in basketball. They\u2019re efficient. They score a ton. They barely miss. When they do, Robinson is there to create another scoring opportunity. It\u2019s a big reason why New York\u2019s offense is as deadly as it has been this season.<\/p>\n
Robinson doesn\u2019t look to score for himself, though. His offensive rebounding is arguably the greatest generator of open 3s for New York. When he gets an offensive rebound over multiple defenders trying to box him out, and the rest scrambling, he finds an open teammate near every time he comes down with the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Mitch does get it, he\u2019s surrounded by two or three bodies and there should be someone open on the perimeter,\u201d Jalen Brunson said. \u201cMitch has a great knack for, if he\u2019s not close to the rim, getting his eyes up and kicking it out. It says a lot about him. He wants to win and will do whatever it takes. That\u2019s just who he is as a person first and foremost. He\u2019s very selfless, and it translates to the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robinson has been in New York through the terrible years. He\u2019s barely been on the court at all in a few of those seasons because of injuries. He\u2019s had a front-row seat for the transformation of Knicks basketball from laughingstock to legit NBA title contenders.<\/p>\n
More importantly, though, he\u2019s a huge reason why New York is in the position that it\u2019s in. He brings something to the game that so very few can replicate. And, because of that, it gives the Knicks a unique quality that separates them from a lot of teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been through this rollercoaster here for, what, eight years now?,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cAs long as we win, that\u2019s all that matters. I\u2019m going to go out there, play hard and give it my all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robinson should end the season a Knick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2014 Every team worth mentioning has an All-Star-caliber player, someone who can score in bunches and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370156,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,361,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-370155","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-nba","9":"tag-new-york-knicks","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}