Mitchell

Robinson

Robinson celebrated his 27th birthday Tuesday night with his best effort of the season, recording season highs in points and rebounds. Seven of the Knicks’ center’s 14 rebounds were of the offensive variety, and there was even an open-court Eurostep into a dunk during the first half. Add in the steal and blocked shots, and this was an excellent night for the nine percent of Yahoo! managers who have Robinson rostered. Filling in for Karl-Anthon Towns, he only played 21 minutes, which may open the door for Robinson to play in Cleveland on Wednesday. If so, this would be the first time he’s played both games of a back-to-back since returning from ankle surgery.

With the 76ers focused on improving their draft lottery odds and playing without Guerschon Yabusele, the Knicks don’t need to play Towns. He’ll sit with the hope that KAT will be available for Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. Mitchell Robinson will fill the void in the starting lineup, and Precious Achiuwa should also play more minutes.

KAT is a late addition to the injury report, so his status is up in the air against Philadelphia. If he’s ultimately ruled out, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa would presumably pick up the slack in his place.

Robinson sat for precautionary reasons against the Mavericks on Tuesday but is ready to suit up again. The big man should back up Karl-Anthony Towns in his usual role off the bench, which will limit Precious Achiuwa’s minutes after he played 19 minutes on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game is the first of two in as many nights for the Knicks, who host the Clippers on Wednesday. With that being the case, Robinson was unlikely to be available for both games. His absence on Tuesday means more rotation minutes for Precious Achiuwa, who is not worth the risk in most fantasy leagues when starter Karl-Anthony Towns is available.

The Knicks are on a back-to-back, so Robinson will likely miss one of the games. Dallas, who will be playing the second night of a back-to-back, seems like a great matchup for Robinson to sit out to ensure he is ready to play the Clippers on Wednesday. We’ll see what Tom Thibodeau decides, but Precious Achiuwa should take on the backup center minutes when Robinson is out.

Precious Achiuwa filled out the backup center minutes on Thursday with Robinson sitting out the second night of New York’s back-to-back. However, with Robinson back, Achiuwa will lose out on some minutes from his already small role.

The Knicks big man has been hurt for most of the season and logged his first double-double of the year his last time out. New York is being cautious with him an Precious Achiuwa will likely take on a more prominent role off the bench against Charlotte.

After logging a season-high 24 minutes in Monday’s win over the Heat, Robinson recorded his first double-double of the season on Wednesday. Rostered in eight percent of Yahoo! leagues, the Knicks center has provided 11th-round value in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. In the immediate future, Robinson may not be available for Thursday’s game in Charlotte for injury management reasons. However, he’s approaching the point where he should be rostered in deep leagues.

Robinson is available Wednesday after having his best game since returning from ankle surgery Monday against the Heat. The 26-year-old center is unlikely to play both Wednesday and Thursday as the Knicks have back-to-back games. Precious Achiuwa will likely see additional minutes Thursday.