Knicks Center Named Team's X-Factor

Mitchell Robinson should play a key role for the New York Knicks this season.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 20, 2024

Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) after being called for a foul in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is making his return to the rotation and starting lineup this season after missing 51 games with an ankle injury last year.

Robinson's responsibility has grown considering the team lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Given this role change, Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes has christened Robinson with the title of team "X-Factor" for the upcoming season.

"New York has posted consistently poor effective field-goal percentages under Tom Thibodeau, making up for it with ridiculous offensive-rebound rates. Robinson is among the best offensive glass-crashers in the game (Hartenstein was excellent as well), and even a talent-infused version of the Knicks with Mikal Bridges and a healthy Julius Randle will probably still need those extra possessions to stick in the top 10 on offense," Hughes writes. "Robinson, 26, has been injury-prone and not very scheme-versatile to this point in his career. He needs to play more than ever and also prove he can do more than wall off the rim on D if the Knicks are going to make good on their plans for contention."

The Knicks would like for Robinson to be the solution at the center position because he is their best big man currently on the roster. Robinson has proven that he can work as a center, but maybe not in the way that the Knicks need him to with the lineup around him.

It will be a difficult transition for the Knicks to go from Hartenstein to Robinson, but the latter can work if he can work back into who he was before his ankle injury from a year ago. He doesn't need to be a replacement for Hartenstein, but rather the best version of himself that he can provide for the upcoming season.

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Published Aug 20, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.