Getty Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks reacts against the Miami Heat.
The New York Knicks were one of the busier teams this past offseason, as they were highly active on the trade market, striking a few deals along the way, and shelled out a boatload of cash via free agency signings.
And while the team may not have executed any major blockbusters during the summer, they managed to lock down a few quality players for the long-term, bringing on fresh new faces and re-upping with some familiar ones along the way.
Fifth-year big man Mitchell Robinson was one of the players New York opted to re-sign during this period, agreeing to a four-year, $60 million deal. With this, the 24-year-old became the first player drafted by the Knicks since Charlie Ward back in 1999 to receive an extension.
With his fresh new contract, expectations are high for the center to continue to progress and improve upon his game. Already he’s managed to become one of the league’s elite rim-protectors and most trusty offensive finishers, though there are certainly some limitations to his skill set.
In particular, Robinson has a very limited scoring game, as he has attempted just five shots outside of the painted area during his NBA career. When it comes to the modern-day, floor-spacing NBA, having such a restricted offensive repertoire is not ideal for a starting big man.
His non-existent shooting stroke is so noteworthy, in fact, that just recently, a fan on Twitter stated that he would give the big $100 if he “shoots one 3 pointer this season.”
The tweet wound up making its way back to Robinson himself, where he responded with a rather cryptic message.
This offseason, videos have surfaced showing Robinson working on his shooting form, albeit at the free-throw line.
Though the workout clips showed him shooting uncontested jumpers, seeing him working on his stroke could bode well for him working his way towards the arc, and, overall, should be a welcomed sight for Knicks fans to see, as he attempted just 28 of his 343 shots outside the restricted area last season
Robinson a Jumper Away From Star Status
One could certainly make the argument that the only thing separating Mitchell Robinson from being labeled one of the elite bigs in the league is his lack of shooting abilities.
As alluded to earlier, in the modern NBA floor spacing is a key weapon to possess for any player, and while top-billed big men like Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Joel Embiid have all proven themselves capable of knocking down long-range jumpers at a shooting clip north of 37% during their careers, the Knicks’ center has not yet attempted a single 3-pointer.
Easily one of the association’s most intimidating rim protectors, Robinson finds himself averaging 4.1 blocks per 100 possessions for his career while boasting per-game averages of 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds on an astonishing 72.2% shooting clip from the field.
Considering he’s already the record holder for the highest field-goal percentage in a single season (74.2% back in 2019-20), by adding a three-point stroke to his game, Mitchell Robinson could become truly elite on both ends of the floor.
Reddish Never Asked To Be Traded From Knicks
On September 28, Knicks forward Cam Reddish addressed the reports that he had requested a trade this past offseason, explaining his side of the story and insinuating that he was surprised to see such a rumor surface.
“I was in the weight room working out, lifting. It was my birthday,” Reddish said. “I open up Instagram and I had, like, 50 comments and I’m like, what did I do? So I open it up and it’s like ‘yea you requested a trade, you requested a trade.’ I’m like, I didn’t do that. I’m just lifting weights. I don’t know where that came from. Now I gotta deal with that? It’s not fair.”
Cam Reddish tells the story of how he found out about media reports suggesting he had requested a trade:
Reddish would continue in high spirits, stating that he never requested a trade and that he’s blessed to be a member of the New York Knicks.