New York Knicks: 5 predictions for 2019-20 season

3. Mitchell Robinson leads NBA in blocks

The New York Knicks looked to have found a steal during the 2018 NBA Draft. Some people thought that would be Kevin Knox, the forward from Kentucky. While Knox has some potential, he was not the one who blew people in his rookie season. Instead, it was Mitchell Robinson.

Robinson was selected with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. His route to the NBA was different, as he didn’t play collegiately. He enrolled at Western Kentucky but never played there. That cost him as he fell out of the first round altogether. As a result, the Knicks have found a diamond in the rough.

Despite not playing in a competitive game in over a year, Robinson showed that he can be a difference-maker immediately. Robinson is full of raw talent, but defensively, he was NBA ready.

Robinson averaged 2.4 blocks despite playing just over 20 minutes per game. That put him second in the NBA behind only Myles Turner.

He didn’t qualify for the block percentage leaderboard, but his 10 percent would have been best in the league by 1.6 percent. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus on Basketball-Reference was 5.2, which also would have led the NBA had he qualified.

This season, Robinson should play enough minutes to qualify for those leaderboards. With added playing time, Robinson should produce even more eye-popping stats and will lead the NBA in blocks per game. If he can keep his foul numbers down, he could garner some attention for Defensive Player of the Year as well.