Injury Update
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has undergone surgery to repair a broken right pinky, but hopes to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, per ESPN.
It was reported on Thursday that Robinson suffered the broken pinky, though it's still unclear how it happened. There are videos circulating on social media of Robinson shaking and grabbing his hand after securing a rebound in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, though it didn't limit his playing ability for the rest of the game.
This is tough news for the Knicks, making a trip back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. It's a positive sign that Robinson plans to play through the injured pinky by wearing a brace, though there are concerns about the limitations he'll have while doing so.
Whether they face the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, Robinson's injury is a big blow for the Knicks and will make it much more difficult for them to win their first title since 1973.
Robinson's Injury History
Robinson, the longest-tenured Knick, has dealt with injury issues ever since New York drafted him in the second round in 2018. He's reached the 70-game mark just once, has never played in more than 72 games and has appeared in 31 or fewer games in three of his eight seasons.
Along the way, Robinson has needed surgery for a broken right hand, a broken right foot and a broken right thumb, as well as multiple procedures on a stress fracture in his left ankle.
This season, though, he had largely been healthy. He appeared in 60 games — the first time he reached that mark since the 2021-22 season — and would have appeared in more had the Knicks not managed his workload to try and ensure he would be healthy for the playoffs.
In 19.6 minutes, Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 72.3% shooting as the team's backup center.
While Robinson's playing time and production have decreased slightly in the playoffs, due in part to poor free-throw shooting that makes it difficult to keep him on the floor in certain situations, he's still been a big part of the Knicks' success as the only big man to see regular playing time off the bench. In 14.2 minutes, he's averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds on 73.7% shooting.
How the Knicks Will Miss Him
The Knicks don't run plays for Robinson — 23 of his 38 shots in the playoffs have been from putbacks or cuts — and he doesn't put up big numbers, so they won't exactly be hurting offensively as he adapts to wearing a brace. But he's still a crucial part of their rotation.
First and foremost, Robinson is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league. He was fifth in the league during the regular season at 4.2 per game, and has grabbed 2.5 per game in the playoffs in limited minutes.
Per data, the Knicks' offensive rebounding rate with Robinson on the floor in the playoffs is 39.4%, and plummets to 28.6% when he sits (garbage time excluded). Robinson is a big reason why the Knicks lead all teams in the postseason with 17.7 second-chance points per game, and creating extra opportunities will be especially important against the Thunder and Spurs, both of whom have elite defenses.
Robinson also helps create easy opportunities for his teammates by drawing a significant amount of fouls. He is an exceptionally poor free-throw shooter — 50.8% for his career, 30.2% this postseason — which leads teams to use the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy against him. While that does often put him at the line and lead to empty possessions, it also gets the Knicks in the bonus.
On the other end, Robinson's size and strength would be crucial against either Western Conference opponent, both of whom play a physical brand of basketball and like to get into the paint.