Big Mitch’s big return is here.
Standout Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is expected to make his return to the rotation after December’s left ankle surgery for New York’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
The Knicks upgraded Robinson from out to questionable the morning ahead of tipoff.
Robinson has not played since sustaining a surgery-inducing stress fracture in his left ankle on Dec. 8.
Early on, it looked like the Knicks lost their center for the season. The front office applied for a Disabled Player Exception worth half the salary of any player who sustains a season-ending injury.
However, the NBA denied the Knicks’ application for the exception after Robinson met with independent league doctors, who believed the star center could recover from his injury in time to make a return this season.
The date has arrived: Big Mitch is back.
In what capacity, of course, remains unclear.
Isaiah Hartenstein has been the full-time starter since Robinson left the rotation, and re-inserting Robinson into the starting lineup could throw off chemistry with the first unit.
There’s also second unit continuity to consider with Precious Achiuwa having become a frontcourt fixture off the bench.
In fact, when Robinson last played, the Knicks had yet to trade for OG Anunoby, nor had they acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks in the trade deadline deal with the Detroit Pistons.
Robinson also went down due to injury the same day Tom Thibodeau promoted Donte DiVincenzo into the starting lineup over Quentin Grimes. Grimes is no longer with the team after the trade to the Pistons, nor are RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who were dealt to Toronto.
The Knicks, of course, need to play Robinson and get him into game shape as quickly as possible. The big man returns to the lineup with 11 games remaining on the schedule as the Knicks look to both retain their standing as the East’s No. 4 seed and challenge the No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks and No. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers, who are each within striking distance in the Eastern Conference standings.
Robinson’s return gives the Knicks what they believe is the best one-two punch at the center position in all of basketball. It also creates a log jam: There are now four players on the roster who Thibodeau has played minutes at the five — Hartenstein, Robinson, Achiuwa and Jericho Sims.
Robinson brings a long-lost, but familiar dynamic back to both sides of the floor: He is an undoubted vertical threat to finish lobs at the rim, is a ferocious rebounder and shot blocker and a sturdy screen setter perpetually among the league’s best in screen assists.
He averaged 6.2 points, 10.3 rebounds (including five on the offensive glass), 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game prior to his injury.
Robinson is the first of three inactive Knicks starters to rejoin the rotation for the final leg of the regular season.
The Knicks continue to miss Anunoby, who underwent surgery on his right elbow in early February, then returned to the rotation and played three games before his elbow flared up again.
All-Star forward Julius Randle also continues to rehab after dislocating his right shoulder on Jan. 27. Randle is still not taking full contact and is trying to strengthen the shoulder area.
