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Mitchell Robinson may have been stamped with the “disgruntled” label as a result of his social media activity, but he’s nonetheless having a stellar campaign for the New York Knicks.
Over 66 appearances with the club this season, he’s averaging 8.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He’s also shooting an impressive 76.3% from the field thanks to a steady diet of rim shots and slam dunks.
Really, he’s been one of the Knicks’ few bright spots in 2021-22. So, while he’s slated to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent this summer — and there figures to be significant interest from around the NBA — the cash-strapped team would be wise to at least consider making a bid to re-sign him.
Whether he lands in New York or elsewhere, though, one hoops pundit says there’s reason to believe that signing Robinson might be a risky play.
B/R: Doling out the Big Bucks for Robinson Could Be a Costly Mistake
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley published his list of the “Riskiest Big-Money Free Agents” in the Association. In it, he namechecked Robinson alongside such luminaries as James Harden, Kyrie Irving and potential Knicks target Collin Sexton.
“It’s easy to be tantalized by Mitchell Robinson,” Buckley conceded. “Squint, and you can envision him anchoring an elite defense while making annual pushes for Defensive Player of the Year honors.”
However, some of the numbers don’t match what that squinty-eyed appraisal might say. As noted by Buckley, the defense he has been charged with anchoring this season is middling at best. New York’s current defensive rating ranks just 14th league-wide at 110.3.
Moreover, the club is actually 4.3 points per 100 possessions better defensively when Robinson is on the bench.
Of course, not all of that is his fault and he deserves credit for the impact he does make. There’s a reason, after all, that opponents have a field-goal percentage differential of minus-4.5 on shots taken when he’s the closest Knicks defender.
Still, the fact that he’s maybe a rung below elite defensively while being limited as an offensive contributor leads one to wonder whether he’s worth a long-term deal paying $10-15 million per annum.
“If he’s not an all-caps DOMINANT defender, then how good can he be?” wondered Buckley. “He’s neither a shooter nor a shot-creator, so he is restricted to rim-running duties on offense. Those are helpful to have, but not worth breaking the bank to get.”
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Injuries, Etc.
Even if one does believe in Robinson as a starting center and/or a potential star on the defensive end, there are others issues to consider before committing massive amounts of money to him. Added Buckley:
That’s before taking Robinson’s history into account, which includes past problems with foul trouble and some injury issues, the worst of which limited him to 31 games last season as he suffered a fractured right hand and a fractured right foot.
If his ceiling convinces someone to give him an eight-figure annual salary, they’ll be taking on more risk than you’d like for an investment of that size.
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