After making so much noise in his rookie season, New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson is set for an even more impressive sophomore season.
It is a well-known fact that the New York Knicks signed approximately 3.7 billion power forwards in the offseason, though Mitchell Robinson‘s spot might be even more secure than last year.
In what can only be described as a catastrophic 2018-19 NBA season, the New York Knicks had a major bright spot. As a rookie, Robinson turned out to be much more than just another second-round pick.
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Drafted by the Knicks with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Robinson managed to briefly make Knicks fans forget about this season full of criticism, drama and trades.
Entering the league, Robinson instantly made a name for himself when he broke the Knicks’ rookie blocks record by swatting away nine shots in just his 12th game in the league.
This performance would also become the highest block tally of the season, tied with Hassan Whiteside. The difference was, Whiteside played a full 32 minutes on that night, while Robinson would only remain on the court for a total of 22 minutes.
1️⃣6️⃣1️⃣ Enough said. pic.twitter.com/pDd420fZuw
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 13, 2019
At the end of the 2018-19 season, Robinson would rank second in the league in blocks per game, while playing an average of 20.6 minutes per game. This incredible statistic would place him ahead of defensive monsters like Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis.
He would also be named to the All-Rookie Second Team as well as the Summer League First Team in the following tournament.
https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/1150928267538575361
So what exactly can we expect from Robinson’s sophomore season?
Well, for starters, regardless of how great Robinson was last year, there’s always room for improvement. In his case, limiting the number of unnecessary fouls that were attributed to him.
Last season he would commit an average of 3.3 personal fouls per game, ranking 17th in the entire league, a spot incredibly high for someone playing just 20 minutes a night.
He appears to have an excessive urge to committing to block other players, rather than staying to guard his own. Call it stat-padding, call it defensive immaturity, one way or another it seems to be hurting both the team and his foul trouble due to these improvised plays.
https://twitter.com/23savage____/status/1145929123157561344
It is fair to say that this young man doesn’t lack any confidence or motivation and clearly isn’t afraid to show it. Let’s just hope that this whole rush to block those shots do not come at the entire team’s expense. At the end of the day, isn’t this the sole purpose of playing for a team?
It is almost certain that Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are going to be the ones to take over the starting big man spots. Newcomers Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris and Taj Gibson are most likely to be used as energy sparks coming off the bench.
Given this probable selection, Robinson will have the biggest chunk of the minutes at the center spot, posing all kinds of trouble to any opposing center that claims to be an offensive threat.
It is fair to say that the New York Knicks possess a defensive gem. It is now up to them to make sure that he shines the way he’s supposed to. For Robinson, taking the next step might mean that he becomes a contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
That is something he appears to be truly capable of doing.