Through 21 games this season, the Knicks have a 12-9 record. That puts them at 7th in the Eastern Conference. New York has lost their last two games and they are at home tonight vs. the Raptors. In their last game, both Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinso suffered left ankle injuries.
Brunson appears to be in better shape than Robinson who unfortunately will need ankle surgery. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that New York’s big man will roughly 8-10 weeks for the Knicks. Not having Robinson is going to hurt New York’s presence on the glass. They’ll turn to Isaiah Hartenstein as their starting center while Robinson is out.
Mitchell Robinson needs ankle surgery and will miss roughly two months for the Knicks
Knicks say Mitchell Robinson will have left ankle surgery this week and will be re-evaluated in 8-10 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2023
In the first half of New York’s last game, Mitchell Robinson injured his left ankle. The 25-year-old left the game and did not return vs. the Celtics. After the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Robinson’s X-rays came back negative. However, he did not practice on Wednesday and was ruled out for New York’s game tonight vs. Toronto.
Thibodeau also announced that Robinson needed ankle surgery and would miss roughly 8-10 weeks. It’s a devastating blow to New York’s starting lineup. Robinson’s production will not be easy to replace. He was averaging a career-high (10.3) rebounds and (1.5) steals per game. Now that he’s set to miss time, the Knicks will have to turn to the bench for his replacement. Isaiah Hartenstein played in all 82 games for New York last season and made eight starts. He’ll see more than eight starts in 2023-24 with Robinon out for roughly two months.
Brutal for the Knicks and for Mitchell Robinson, who is having the best season of his career. Robinson been huge for paint protection, forcing turnovers and obviously the offensive rebounding. He’s a giant part of the Knicks’ identity and a reason for their success.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 11, 2023
The Knicks are lucky that they can replace one seven-footer with another. While Hartenstein is not the same player that Robison is, he still finds ways to be productive. Hartenstein has played in all 21 games so far this season and hasn’t started a game yet. He’s averaging (5.3) points, (5.6) rebounds, and (1.2) assists per game. His backup will now be Jericho Sims who has played in only nine games this season.
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