The New York Knicks received an encouraging assessment regarding Mitchell Robinson’s availability for Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday, after a sports doctor reviewed the center’s situation ahead of the NBA Finals.
With the NBA Finals set to begin, the prominent doctor’s evaluation may have eased concerns surrounding one of the Knicks’ most important frontcourt players.
Mitchell Robinson’s Pinky Injury Status Ahead of Game 1
Dr. Jesse Morse, a Miami-based sports medicine physician who regularly posts injury analysis on social media, shared a video of Robinson shooting at Tuesday’s practice.
“Mitchell Robinson should be good to go despite fracturing his 5th finger last week and undergoing surgery,” Morse wrote at about 5:20 p.m. Eastern Time, offering the clearest public read yet on the center’s status.
The video, clipped from SNY, showed Robinson shooting with his injured hand in a practice jersey, the finger wrapped in black athletic tape rather than the splint he had been wearing, according to a report by Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
As of 5:15 p.m. ET Tuesday, neither the Knicks nor the San Antonio Spurs had submitted injury reports for Wednesday’s 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff, with the NBA’s official listing showing both entries as “NOT YET SUBMITTED.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown was no more forthcoming. He told reporters Robinson completed individual drills before the team flew to San Antonio and planned to consult with the medical staff about what Robinson could handle in Wednesday’s practice.
“I don’t know what he’ll be listed on the injury report,” Brown said, according to Vardon’s report in The Athletic.
Brown also confirmed the fracture did not happen in a game or a practice and offered no further explanation, leaving the circumstances of the injury entirely unresolved.
Why Robinson’s Availability Matters for Knicks
Robinson strolled past reporters at the NBA Finals Media Day Tuesday without stopping, his right hand free of a splint. Under league rules, injured players are not required to speak with media and face no fine for declining, according to a report by Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.
The silence has done nothing to ease concern about what New York loses if Robinson cannot play. The 7-footer ranks among the league’s most effective rim protectors and rebounders, and the Knicks project him as the primary defender on San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. That’s the matchup that figures to shape this entire series.
Without Robinson, New York’s center depth thins quickly. Karl-Anthony Towns is there, but depth behind him is largely Ariel Hukporti, who told reporters Tuesday, “I’m always prepared, I’m always ready.”
Robinson is averaging 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the 2026 postseason, shooting 30.2 percent from the foul line. Brown deployed him strategically against Cleveland, using Robinson as foul bait to push New York into the bonus early, according to Vardon’s The Athletic report.
The Knicks drafted Robinson in 2018, and he has been on the roster through the franchise’s entire revival, from a 17-win season his rookie year to the Finals floor Wednesday in San Antonio. He has not spoken publicly since his injury was disclosed after Game 4 of New York’s Eastern Conference Finals sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sports Doctor Gives Knicks Center Mitchell Robinson Game 1 Go-Ahead