Mitchell Robinson was going to be asked to carry a heavy load for the Knicks this season as the only proven, defensive-minded center left on the roster, and now it looks like New York will not even have him until Christmas.
Robinson is still recovering from his foot surgery early in the offseason, will be out until a December or January timeline, reports Yaron Weitzman (and since confirmed by multiple other Knicks writers).
NEWS: Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is not fully recovered from his May foot surgery and will not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season, according to a league source. The team is targeting a December/January return, but that depends on his rehab process. The Knicks'…
— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) September 23, 2024
The Knicks are used to playing without Mitchell, who missed 50 games last season following ankle surgery. Last season, the team could fall back on a quality center in Isaiah Hartenstein to fill those minutes, but this offseason Hartenstein chased the big payday to another contender and signed with Oklahoma City (which offered far more than the CBA allowed New York to).
That leaves the feisty but undersized Precious Achiuwa and the athletic but raw Jericho Sims as the top centers on the depth chart, plus the just-signed Marcus Morris may be more likely to make the final roster now (he is on a non-guaranteed deal). Tom Thibodeau has said he will consider using Julius Randle at center for stretches when small ball lineups make sense, but that is not a long-term option (and Randle is expected to miss part of training camp as he recovers from shoulder surgery).
The Knicks had been active in the trade market looking for a center all summer but never found a deal they liked. The remaining free agent centers are not the answer. Mitchell being out this long puts more pressure on New York to consider less-tan-ideal trade offers during training camp if a quality center is available.
The Knicks will still be pushing for a top seed in the East and, if healthy, will be a legitimate threat to Boston and to win the East this season. However, they will need to fill the gap at center to fill those lofty aspirations.
