Mitchell Robinson Injury: New York Knicks' Worst-Case Scenario?

Mitchell Robinson is proving to be the New York Knicks' MVP in the worst way possible.

Like a Jedi Knight's lightsaber, New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson could perhaps be seen as an elegant weapon from a more civilized age.

Robinson's role as a whole, the traditional center, meant to clog the paint area, haul in rebounds, dare opponents to invade, and post inflated shooting percentages buoyed by bunnies has been forced to evolve in the modern NBA. 

Length and height have headlined the past three MVP votes (two for Nikola Jokic, the other for Joel Embiid) but each left their impact all over the floor rather than just the paint. Embiid, for example, hit 66 three-pointers en route to the newly-branded Michael Jordan Trophy. Shaquille O'Neal, the 1999-2000 MVP, tried 22 in his entire career and hit one. 

Prior to sustaining an ankle injury that will keep him out for at least two months, Robinson has survived the relative revolution on his own terms and has created long-term stability in one of the most, if not the most, tenuous job markets in the world.

Recent results beg the question: does Knicks basketball run through Robinson?

The Knicks have sorely missed Robinson's efforts / USA TODAY SPORTS

The Sitch on Mitch 

Robinson is far from the Knicks' headliner, that honor instead shared by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, but he's the longest-tenured New Yorker at six seasons. But by financially restocking this weapon from a bygone era to the tune of a four-year, $60 million contract extension during the summer of 2022 (the first homegrown Knicks pick to earn a second deal since 1994), New York had an edge in a supposed lost art, in the arena of gritty plays that few, if any, felt like making anymore. 

The investment was paying off splendidly this season: Robinson's offensive rebounding tallies were reaching historic levels (you've done something good in the rebounding realm when you're on pace to earn an audience with Moses Malone and Dennis Rodman). 

He has made the defensive plays that allowed the Knicks to eke out gritty victories that their brethren would try to earn by firing three-pointers at the problem. In a city of skyscrapers, few proved more intimidating than Robinson, whose efforts played a major role in keeping scoreboards manageable. 

Like an enforcer in hockey or a fullback in football, the traditional center is vanishing from its dominion's playbooks and lineups. The All-Star Game and All-NBA teams increasingly flaunt and reward positionless basketball. Robinson kept the Knicks alive through traditional means, keeping them as a valid, unpredictable wild card on the projected Eastern Conference playoff bracket.

Shining in both the traditional and advanced statistical categories, Robinson has proven to be the Knicks' MVP ... for better and worse.

Robinson during a November game at Madison Square Garden / USA TODAY SPORTS

Has Worst Come to Worst?

Robinson will not win NBA MVP ... the newly-formed participation requirements (forcing candidates to play at least 65 games) literally remove him from the running, barring a change in diagnosis. But a classic case of proving value in absentia has buried the Knicks on a most inopportune occasion.

The Knicks' results sans Robinson are troubling, to say the least: with Robinson's ankle issues first publicly revealed in a Dec. 8 loss against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks let up 133 in defeat. There's perhaps no shame in losing to Beantown's perennial contender (even if the Knicks' 0-3 mark looks particularly glaring right about now) but the follow-ups have been more disturbing.

While it certainly wouldn't make any case for a collegiate tournament's selection committee, the Knicks' ability to take care of business against lesser competition is a hallmark of a great team. But the Robinson-less returns have yielded the surrender of 130 points to the meandering Toronto Raptors and 117 more to the reeling Utah Jazz, the latter producing the Knicks' first loss to an active sub-.500 opponent this season.

The Knicks' remaining offensive firepower ensures that they're at least capable of shooting their way out of trouble: six different Knicks, led by Randle at 34, reached double-figures in Monday's win over Toronto, for example. But there's no denying that Robinson's injury happens at a curious point on the franchise timeline.

New York has made its desire for a superstar quite apparent. If Robinson wasn't going to showcase his historic talents, he was one of the Knicks' most attractive tradeable assets (a group that, at this point, is basically anyone not named Brunson). Both options are firmly off the table for the next two months, leaving the Knicks at the mercy of an unforgivingly top-heavy Eastern Conference.

If these Robinson-free defensive lapses continue, it's difficult to imagine the Knicks (13-10) making much headway in the standings or contending with the reigning top dogs from Boston or Milwaukee. To that point, it's worth pondering the unthinkable ...

Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein Painting Knicks' Playoff Success

Does Robinson's Absence Turn Knicks Into Deadline Sellers?

To answer that immediately, absolutely not. It's posed purely for both dramatic effect and the lack of better wording. 

To play devil's advocate, the idea of building a draft pick cabinet to prepare for the rush on the star market is a macabrely tantalizing if the Knicks are going to give up about 120 a night on a frequent basis without Robinson,. But only a complete disaster (i.e. another major injury) would remove the Knicks from the playoff picture entirely and the Brunson/Randle tandem has proven reliable enough to steal their share of victories. 

Robinson also has capable understudies in Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims while the Knicks recently brought back long-tenured Tom Thibodeau disciple Taj Gibson on a one-year deal. There's plenty of time to make things right and Knicks management has apparently laid out some sort of blueprint. 

But the team's play without Robinson continues to be troubling and only results will put Knicks observers at ease in the long run. Few, if any, would have placed the Knicks in the NBA Finals last postseason, but it laid down a strong foundation to lure potential soldiers to the cause. 

There were several different periods, including a mid-winter medical exit for Robinson that cost him 15 games, that the Knicks' season could've gone off the rails but they managed to recover each and every time. The same has not come to pass in the early going of their follow-up. It's not like the schedule is affording them any chance to be patient, either: the ongoing road trip features a desert venture to face the Phoenix Suns' fully realized superstar triumvirate on Friday (10 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN) before a doubleheader in Los Angeles. The Knicks will get to go back to New York after that but a visit to Brooklyn is waiting for them before Milwaukee visits for a Christmas weekend doubleheader.  

In other words, it could get late early, and the Knicks need to find their footing without the help of Robinson, who has solved his share of hardwood jams during his time in Manhattan.

MVP means MVP ... for better and worse. Through Robinson's injury, the Knicks are learning the latter lesson the hard way.