Mitchell

Robinson

Achiuwa joins Mitchell Robinson (ankle) as big men who will miss the start of the season for New York. Josh Hart should see ample playing time, and Jericho Sims could be in line for meaningful rotation minutes for as long as Achiuwa and Robinson are sidelined.

Robinson, who underwent a second surgery on his ankle in May, was not with his Knicks teammates in Charleston, S.C., for training camp last week. Instead, he remained in New York to continue his rehabilitation plan. Robinson’s absence and the lack of clarity on a return timeline was one reason why the Knicks consummated the Karl-Anthony Towns trade before the start of camp. While KAT will be the unquestioned starter, the question is who backs him up. Precious Achiuwa was only used as a power forward last season, and second-round pick Ariel Hukporti has performed well during the preseason. Jericho Sims may also be in the mix, but he failed to do much with extended minutes in the past.

Robinson staying behind isn’t worth reading into too much, as SNY’s Ian Begley reported on September 23 that he was targeting a December or January return. With the Karl-Anthony Towns trade yet to be finalized, there will be more training camp reps at the five for Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa. According to Cleaning the Glass, the latter played 45% of his minutes at center last season.

The Knicks don’t want to rush Robinson back to the lineup, which means that they’ll have to turn to other options at center. Precious Achiuwa should get the first crack at extra minutes and could slide into the starting unit, which makes him an intriguing late-round target. Jericho Sims should also provide some center depth, but he won’t play enough minutes to be worth drafting. Julius Randle may also see some minutes as the center in smaller lineups, which should be intriguing for his fantasy value. They’ll still need Achiuwa and Sims to combat some of the bigger centers, but they don’t have any plans to make a trade for another big at this time.

Robinson underwent two separate surgeries on his left ankle during the 2023-24 season, the second occurring in mid-May after suffering a stress injury during the playoffs. At the time, it was reported that an update would be provided in 6-8 weeks. Given Begley’s recent update, there’s still work for Robinson to do rehab-wise before he’s given full on-court clearance. With Isaiah Hartenstein leaving in free agency, the Knicks need a healthy Robinson on the court as they look to contend in the East. As for his fantasy value, it will be difficult for managers to fully trust a player who appeared in 31 regular season games last season.

Hartenstein is heading back West after multiple seasons in New York. He was excellent when Mitchell Robinson was out last season, and now he’ll fill out the center minutes behind Chet Holmgren. Hartenstein will provide OKC with a bigger center to help match up with players like Nikola Jokic out West. He won’t be as productive in fantasy, but he will be an important part of the team’s rotation. In New York, Robinson and Jericho Sims are the only centers currently on the roster. That could mean that another move is coming for them, but right now, it’s looking like Robinson will see a minutes boost.

The joy Knicks fans felt in the immediate aftermath of the Mikal Bridges trade was somewhat tempered by the report on Hartenstein. Given how well he played this season, the 7-footer will command a significant payday once he hits free agency on June 30, and New York is limited in what they can offer iHart since the team does not hold his Bird rights. Losing Hartenstein would impact Mitchell Robinson, whose name has recently come up in trade rumors. Robinson can be an excellent fantasy center due to the rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage, but availability has been an issue for most of his career.

Robinson was injured for a large chunk of 2023-24 and is currently viewed as less valuable than Isaiah Hartenstein. The big man could be moved ahead of the 2024-25 season to make room for Hartenstein to take over as New York’s starting center.

Robinson’s season is likely done, since the earliest he could return would be Game 6 of the NBA Finals, based on this timeline. He only played 12 minutes in Game 1 of this series, with Isaiah Hartenstein logging the majority of the minutes at center. Precious Achiuwa may log a few minutes off the bench, but Hartenstein will continue to be the primary center option.

Robison was a non-factor in Game 1 of the second round and only totaled two points with two rebounds in 12 minutes. His absence will give Precious Achiuwa a chance to break into the rotation.