76ers Rival Knicks Receive Bad News on Injury Front

The New York Knicks will be without one of Joel Embiid's division rivals for some time.

Apr 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) has words with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) after fouling Oubre during the first quarter of game 5 of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are facing a tough situation in the frontcourt ahead of the 2024-2025 NBA season. Not only did they recently lose a prominent center as Isaiah Hartenstein left for the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency, but the big man Mitchell Robinson reportedly won’t be ready for the start of the year.

According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Robinson’s ankle injury has prevented him from being ready to begin the 2024-2025 NBA season. The current timeline for his return goes beyond November.

A debut for Robinson could come as late as January, according to the report. That’s a tough hit for the Knicks, especially in games against the Philadelphia 76ers, who employ one of the top bigs in the game in Joel Embiid.

During the playoff battle between the Sixers and the Knicks last year, Robinson was just a a couple of months removed from a long absence due to an injury.

The big man appeared in just ten games during the Knicks’ final stretch of the regular season after returning from a 50-plus-game absence. Robinson averaged 20 minutes off the bench against the Sixers through the first three games of the 2024 Playoff series.

For Game 4, Robinson didn’t play. The veteran center would return to the court for Game 5 and battled it out for 25 minutes. He was also on the floor for the Knicks’ Game 6 victory against the 76ers. Overall, Robinson averaged three points, eight rebounds, one steal, and one block per game against the Sixers in round one.

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Unfortunately, Robinson saw the court for just 11 minutes during the seven-game series between the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. After his postseason run ended prematurely, Robinson underwent ankle surgery during the offseason.

At this point, the Knicks are trying to be as careful as possible with Robinson’s ankle. According to Begley, the team is confident they have the “depth and versatility” to fill the void of Robinson throughout the first stretch of the regular season.

Over the summer, the Knicks re-signed former Toronto Raptors center Precious Achiuwa. They also still employ Jericho Sims. While the veteran Julius Randle is best suited at power forward, he could give the team a different look at the five as well. The Knicks also brought on a second-round rookie in Ariel Hukporti.

For New York, the delayed season debut for Robinson is definitely a major hit to the depth chart. In the last five regular season battles between the Knicks and the Sixers that didn’t include Robinson, Joel Embiid averaged 34 points and 11 rebounds.

The Sixers and the Knicks will face each other for the first time this year on November 12 for an NBA Cup game.