Mitchell Robinson has been a force to be reckoned with so far this season. Is it time for him to have a breakout year? New York Knicks: Dirty Work
Mitchell Robinson has always been known as a good Interior defender and rebounder. He’s tenacious and plays with maximum effort on both ends of the floor. In the past, injuries have gotten in the way of his full potential as a player. Now, he’s playing the best basketball of his young career.
Monster on the Boards
Robinson is currently averaging 6.5 PPG , 12.4 RPG, and 1 BPG. He’s rebounding at a very high level and is on pace to cement his name in history. In 8 games, Robinson has had 6 double digit rebounding games, with four of them being 15 rebounds or higher.
As of now, Robinson is ranked 5th in NBA in rebounding average. He also leading the league in offensive rebounds with 50, which is 6.4 ORPG on average.
If he is able to maintain this average throughout the season, Robinson would rank 4th All Time in Offensive Rebounding average. This would put him up there with names like Moses Malone (who has the record with 7.2 offensive rebounds), Dennis Rodman, and Jayson Williams. Plus, after Wednesday night’s matchup against the Spurs, Mitchell Robinson became only the 5th player in NBA history to record 50 or more rebounds over the first eight games of the season.
The impact that Robinson has made on the boards is stellar and should not be ignored. But that’s the only area he’s been having an effect at.
Lock Down D
At the moment, The Knicks rank 2nd in points allowed this season. Mitchell Robinson’s defensive presence has a lot to do with that. Additionally, not only has he recorded 2 or more blocks in 3 games this season but he’s also been a force in the steal department. Robinson has tallied at least 1 steal in five games this season and recorded 4 steals in two of those games. Robinson has always been a good rim protector. But now he’s really wreaking havoc in the passing lanes and in pick and roll situations. This is making life hard for opposing big men. The latest example of this was against the recent No.1 pick in the NBA Draft Victor Wembanyama.
Furthermore, Robinson and the Knicks spoiled Wemanyama’s debut at MSG on Wednesday night, holding him to only 14 points while shooting 4-14 from the field. Also, when Robinson was defending Wembanyama, he went 0-6 from the field. Shutting Wembanyama out of the game proved to be the key to success for the Knicks as they cruised to a 126-105 win.
Prior the game, Robinson explained to reporters how he planned on guarding the 7 foot Frenchman and according to how the game went, he had the right idea.
DPOY?
Overall, the Knicks season might still be young but Mitchell Robinson is playing at a phenomenal level. He’s making an early case for a Defensive Player of the Year award and is rebounding at a historic rate. If he can keep playing at this level, this can really turn into a breakout season for the 25 year old. Put the league on notice Mitch!
