This isn’t the first time this New York Knick superstar, Mitchell Robinson underwent ankle surgery. He’s been on injury management for the Knicks this season; however, it seems this time he’ll miss the postseason games for quite a while, joining Bojan Bogadanovic, Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby.
As the New York Knicks miss some vital players due to injury, there have been sentiments that their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, is part of the cause of Knick’s pile of injury reports because of his rigid style of playing. Yet, Josh Hart expressed something crucial about these sentiments.
Also, let’s remember that it’s the playoffs therefore, there could be tendencies for coaches to overwork their players.
With this on the hook, what led to Mitchell Robinson’s second ankle injury? When will he be back, and how do the Knicks survive without their key players?
New York Center: Mitchell Robinson Injury History And Possible Return
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The first time Mitchell Robinson had an injury on his left ankle was on December 8 against the Celtic Bostons. Though he went for a check-up and returned to the court, he could only play for four minutes during the fourth quarter.
The New York Knicks thought they wouldn’t have their big man Mitchell Robinson on the court again, therefore, Isaiah Hartenstein replaced him as the center.
But on March 27 Mitchell Robinson returned to help guard and get those rebounds and blocks rolling for his team, yet he was on minute restriction due to his injury management.
Despite these setbacks, Mitchell still played with his team in the first round of their playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers where he got involved with Joel Embiid’s foul play twice in the first half of Game 3.
One of the encounters was in the 2nd quarter when Joel Embiid hit Mitchell Robinson in the groin while attempting to get a bucket. Then the other foul that led to his left ankle being hurt was in the first quarter when Embiid pulled Mitchell’s foot while Mitchell tried to get a shot.
After this incident, Mitchell left the court with a walking boot. Therefore he didn’t play in Game 4 and managed to play 12 minutes in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, which was his last straw.
The following day, the New York Knicks announced that Mitchell Robinson wouldn’t be available for their next game and had been sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks.
Mitchell Robinson had an outstanding performance this season averaging 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for 24.8 minutes of playtime during the 2023-24 regular season and 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for 19.2 minutes of playtime during the 2023-24 playoffs.
New York Knicks’ Shooting Guard on Tom Thibodeau’s Critique.
After the news of New York suffering another injury of a key player, there have been sentiments that the Knicks’ head coach should be a bit flexible with his playing style – as it’d cause the Knicks more injury – and this was what Josh Hart had to say before his fifth game again the Indiana Pacers:
You expect ignorance when people have no idea what goes on in this building, people love to have a narrative or a label and run with it. None of those guys are here watching us practice. None of those guys are watching what we do. At the end of the day, in the seventh year of my career, I’ve probably had more off days than I’ve had on other days. We don’t go contact in practice. Everyone thinks we do three-hour practices of scrimmaging. It’s idiotic to put it on him. He’s not going to say anything about it. He’s going to take it on the chin and keep on moving.
Josh Hart didn’t hold back as he defended Tom Thibodeau on the head coach’s critique.
However, despite suffering significant injuries during this playoff series, the New York Knicks are leading in their series 3-2 against the Indiana Pacers with Precious Achiuwa as a substitute for Mitchell Robinson.
About the Author
Wisdom is an email and brand copywriter with two years of content writing experience. He started Cloud Kitchen Concept to help startups and business owners elevate their brands from good to great. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram to enjoy cooked meals for your business’s growth.
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