Getty Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks reacts during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs.
Mitchell Robinson caught the eyes of many social media users earlier this week with a pointed Snapchat message seemingly bashing his role with the New York Knicks.
The big man would write: “Tired asf of just being out there for cardio fam like I want to play basketball to really just wasting my time and energy.”
In the days following the social media rant, former NBA forward and current FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” analyst Chandler Parsons ripped Robinson on a recent episode, blasting the center for being “selfish” with his decision to air out his grievances.
“This is a sign of immaturity. This is selfish. This is him being a bad teammate,” Parsons said. “His team is finally on top. They’re having a great year. They haven’t done anything with him. They’re now finally getting a taste of success and you just provide this public distraction really and let’s be honest, big guys like this when they go on this rant, what do you want? You want the ball? You want [isolation play]? He has zero game. He can’t go and score. [It’s] not like he’s going to go and get buckets, so I don’t really know where he’s getting at.”
“This is a sign of immaturity, this is selfish, this is him being a bad teammate…”
@ChandlerParsons on #Knicks Center, Mitchell Robinson posing on snapchat saying he’s “tired of just being out their for cardio” 😅
#RunItBack with @MichelleDBeadle & @bansky
Robinson would follow up his initial post with a follow-up message, saying that he’s “Disappearing for a while.”
Since returning from his two-week injury-induced absence, the 24-year-old has started 11 straight games and is posting 8.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks on 72.9% shooting from the floor.
However, though he managed to register a double-double in five of his first six games back, the center has been mostly quiet since embarking on New York’s west coast trip, seeing averages of just 5.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks on a mediocre 45.0% shooting from the floor.
The Knicks have gone 8-3 dating back to his first game back on the hardwood on February 24.
Robinson Has Complained About Knicks Role Before
Mitchell Robinson complaining about his role with the New York Knicks is certainly not a new phenomenon, as he publicly expressed his displeasure on the matter earlier this season back in November.
“The way we play is not set for me to do any moves,” Robinson tweeted.
Mitchell Robinson says he doesn’t have the chance to post-up in the Knicks offense
“The way we play is not set for me to do any moves”
Heading into the season, there was a sizeable amount of buzz revolving around Robinson and his expanding game, as he publicly shared–unsurprisingly on social media–video clips of him showing off his seemingly improved shooting range.
However, since the Knicks kicked off their regular season on October 19, the big man has attempted just one shot from outside the painted area and has given no reason to believe that he’s deserving of an increased role in the team’s scoring game, especially when in a lineup consisting of much better offensive weapons like Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and even his own backup in Isaiah Hartenstein.
Josh Hart Opens Up on Knicks Energy
Acquired prior to the February 9 NBA trade deadline, veteran Josh Hart has managed to become a key member of this surging Knicks rotation.
However, despite his high-end contributions to the club, the wing has publicly stated that New York has proven to be far more than just one individual, as he praised the team as a whole when talking to reporters following their latest win over the Trail Blazers, and expressed excitement about finally being in a position to be “playing for something” beyond the regular season.
“It’s great,” Hart said, “I think this team was trending upwards when I got here, and I was able to just fit right in and continue to help this team grow…I’m in a new position right now, where I’m sitting here and we’re really playing for something. I haven’t really been in that position before in my career, and I think that’s just making myself even more hungry, and the rest of the guys in the locker room.”
Since first suiting up for the franchise back on February 10, Josh Hart has played a pivotal role in the Knicks’ 11-3 record, which, over this period of time, is the third-best mark in the association.