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With NBA All-Star weekend officially in the rearview, the New York Knicks will now set their sights on the remaining 22-game stretch of this 2022-23 regular season, and, as their return to action on February 24 inches closer, the club has recently received an update that should make every fan of the franchise jubilant.
According to a February 22 report by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Mitchell Robinson, who has missed the last 14 games with a right thumb fracture, managed to participate in practice with the team which, in turn, is a major step towards him possibly making his return to action at some point in the near future.
“Mitchell Robinson went through practice today. Thibodeau wouldn’t commit to him playing tomorrow,” wrote Bondy, though corrected himself in a follow-up tweet stating that he meant to write “Friday” rather than “tomorrow.”
Despite not having any definitive word on whether the big man will be able to suit up for the Knicks during their first bout back against the Washington Wizards, this report by Bondy is certainly a positive step in the right direction considering that last we heard on the matter SNY’s Ian Begley reported back on February 13 that Robinson had yet to be cleared for contact.
Since first sustaining his injury back on January 18 ironically against the Wizards, New York has gone 8-6 while primarily utilizing Jericho Sims and Isaiah Hartenstein as the 24-year-old’s primary replacements within the rotation.
Sims ‘Odd Man Out’ on Knicks
Despite having served as the starting pivot for the Knicks during Robinson’s absence, SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley suggested on February 16 that once the club’s $60 million man makes his way back to the lineup Jericho Sims could wind up losing his spot in the rotation completely.
“My guess is Tom Thibodeau sticks with the nine-man rotation. He didn’t expand it to ten guys when Josh Hart was acquired, I don’t think he expands it to ten guys when Mitchell Robinson comes back. I would assume Jericho Sims is the odd man out,” Begley said.
Begley would continue by stating that the possibility that Sims could end up losing his spot within the rotation is “not a reflection of his play,” as he noted that he thinks the 24-year-old has “done a great job during Robinson’s absence,” but believes that Isaiah Hartenstein’s production within the second-unit rotation could easily sway the coaching staff toward leaving the latter with considerable playing time moving forward.
During his time filling in for Robinson and serving as the starting center for the Knicks, the sophomore big has posted averages of 4.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game whilst converting on a whopping 76.5% shooting from the floor.
Knicks Predicted to be Bested in Round One
The return of Mitchell Robinson is certainly an event many fans are longing for, but Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report doesn’t seem to believe that it will make a difference for the Knicks in the long run as he made the bold prediction that they will end up making the postseason as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings and, in the end, be bested by the third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
“New York’s offense (sixth) actually ranks ahead of Cleveland’s (ninth), but the gap in defensive quality is the real determining factor here. The Cavs are tied for second on D, while the Knicks, even with the benefit of unsustainably cold opponent three-point shooting, are 18th. It’s easy to imagine Mitchell and Darius Garland exploding for huge scoring nights that put this series away early, while it’s tougher to envision Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle creating enough quality looks against the length of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen,” Hughes wrote.
Through 60 games played in 2022-23, New York boasts a record of 33-27, currently good enough for the sixth-best mark in the conference standings.
However, despite their impressive season output and the prediction by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz that the Knicks will finish off these final 22 games with one of the best records and head into the playoffs with momentum, Hughes believes that their ride will come to an end after six games in the conference quarterfinals.
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