Shot-blocking big man Mitchell Robinson is unsure about playing back-to-back games for the New York Knicks during the 2025-26 season, according to Kristian Winfield of New York Daily News.
The comments suggest that Robinson, who played only 17 games last season with an ankle injury, had yet to be fully cleared by the Knicks‘ medical staff.
Robinson replaced Josh Hart in the Knicks‘ starting unit during the final four games of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. New Knicks head coach Mike Brown has yet to decide on his starting five, with both Robinson and Hart playing on both the starting and bench units during the ongoing training camp. On September 25, Robinson addressed whether he was more comfortable in a starting or bench role.
“That don’t matter to me at all. I’ve started before, I’ve came off the bench before. I did great in both,” Robinson responded.
“I started before, I came off the bench before, I did great in both”
Josh Hart Also Dealing With Injury
When on the court, Robinson is viewed as one of the NBA’s best rim protectors. However, the oft-injured big man has become increasingly unreliable, missing 65 games in 2024-25, 51 in 2023-24 and 23 in 2022-23 with various injuries.
To make matters worse, Josh Hart is also dealing with the lingering effects of the finger injury he suffered during last season’s playoffs.
“I’m just trying to get used to it, and then get through the season with it,” Hart said during Media Day. “I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I obviously got a procedure on it and then kinda re-aggravated it somewhat recently. So probably just rock out with a splint this season and try to fix it again next summer.”
Hart — who will compete with Robinson for the final starting unit — joked about seeking a trade if he comes off the bench when the season begins on Oct. 22.
Knicks Have Depth to Survive
“Yeah, if I don’t start, I’ll probably ask for a trade, go somewhere else,” Hart said jokingly. “I had the best year of my career last year, but that’s in the past.”
He continues: “I had the best year of my career last year, but that’s in the past. I think I’m a
Unlike last season — when the Knicks ranked dead-last in the NBA in both bench scoring and bench minutes — Mike Brown’s team is more equipped to handle the rigours of an 82-game season. Beyond the core seven — that also includes Miles McBride — the Knicks have bolstered their roster with the additions of Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele, Malcolm Brogdon, and Landry Shamet, with the potential to go 10-deep for most of the season.
During his Media Day press conference, Karl-Anthony Towns highlighted how the Knicks are much deeper this season than they were last year.
“It’s going to be a fun year, man. We’ve got a great team,” Towns said. “Everyone’s coming back feeling good about themselves and had a good summer of work. We’re going to do everything possible to be the best version of ourselves every single night.”
Unlike his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, Mike Brown is expected to utilize deep rotations, something that excites Towns and his teammates.
“What I can say is that I know our team is unified and our team has the continuity needed to achieve great things.”
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