Getty New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson
The New York Knicks and Washington Wizards square off in London for a game which features a few intriguing headlines. Aside from Enes Kanter’s unique situation which has left him back in the United States, the Knicks received some good news on rookie center Mitchell Robinson.
Entering the game, New York is close to full strength excluding the obvious fact that Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined. Kanter will be missed in this matchup, but the positive news is that Robinson is expected to be back in action and will look to build on his solid start to the season. Although Robinson saw limited minutes over 28 games, he averaged 4.7 points with 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while flashing a decent amount of upside.
We’re going to take a look at the current Knicks roster and expected starting lineup for the game in London Thursday.
Knicks Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Wizards
| Position | Expected Starter | Backup | |
| Center | Luke Kornet | Mitchell Robinson | |
| Power Forward | Noah Vonleh | Lance Thomas | |
| Small Forward | Kevin Knox | Mario Hezonja | Courtney Lee |
| Shooting Guard | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Damyean Dotson | Allonzo Trier |
| Point Guard | Emmanuel Mudiay | Frank Ntilikina | Trey Burke |
It’ll be interesting to see how the Knicks opt to divvy up minutes at center between Kornet and Robinson. The rookie second-round pick is returning from a groin injury so there’s a chance he could be eased back into the action. Realistically, expecting to see him receive roughly 20-25 minutes seems like a safe number, although David Fizdale hasn’t revealed much on that front.
Robinson missed 13 games due to the injury, and Kornet has done a solid job since taking on a larger workload and even starting over Kanter.
The rest of the Knicks’ core players remain the same and should all see a decent amount of run. This specifically includes 2018 first-round pick Kevin Knox, who played 44 minutes in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. In that game, he poured in 31 points on 12-23 shooting and 4-9 from beyond the arc. On the season, Knox is averaging 12.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Knicks’ Recent Struggles
The Knicks sit with a 10-33 record currently and it’s apparent they’re heading towards the NBA Draft Lottery while keeping a focus on building for the future. The good news is that they have a young core headlined by Mitchell, Knox, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Tim Hardaway Jr., among other names.
Regardless of the direction this team opts to go in free agency, the upside and a few of the pieces are in place. Unfortunately, it hasn’t shown as of late, considering the Knicks have lost 12 of their last 13 games. Dating back to the start of December, New York has managed to win three of 20 games.
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