Getty Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks reacts during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs.
Earlier this week, New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson took to social media to voice his displeasure about his role within head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation this season.
Via his personal Snapchat account, the 24-year-old issued a statement saying that he’s tired of “just being out there for cardio,” in reference to his usage on the court.
Since airing out his grievances, Robinson has received a fair share of backlash, with former NBA forward and current FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” analyst Chandler Parsons going as far as to deem his actions as “selfish” on a recent episode of the show.
In response to the criticisms, the big man personally apologized for his outcry, as he admitted to Knicks Fan TV that he “should’ve handled it differently.”
“Yo it’s come real asf for the pass few weeks I been going through the perfect storm as I call it after the game against Portland I just snapped like I got a baby on the way I got family issues i just got to figure a way to get back under control when my mind was free I was good after I had 3 bad games I just started thinking about all the stuff I had going on and kept it going I’ll figure it out tho I’ll be fine my bad should’ve handled it differently and didn’t want no bad blood just gotta find myself,” Robinson said via Knicks Fan TV.
Robinson is no stranger to publicly questioning his usage within the club’s scheme, as he also went about and expressed criticisms early on in the season by means of social media.
Robinson Quiet Since Return to Knicks’ Lineup
Despite his public disapproval in regard to the way he’s been used within head coach Tom Thibodeau’s system, truth be told, Mitchell Robinson has not shown much reason for his usage to warrant any sort of increase moving forward.
Since returning from his two-week injury-induced hiatus, the pivot has found himself posting 8.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game on 72.9% shooting from the floor.
Though he started off his return strong, registering a double-double in five of his first six outings back, the center was rather quiet during 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 during a four-game span during their four-game stretch.
Coming into the 2022-23 campaign, Robinson generated a considerable amount of buzz regarding his on-court advancements, as he often would share video clips throughout the offseason of him showing off his seemingly improved shooting range and other additions to his game.
Swishell Robinson
Unfortunately, so far this season the fifth-year pro has hoisted just one shot from outside the painted area, and, considering his seemingly plateaued play style, Robinson has given no indication that he’s capable of capitalizing on an increased role in the team’s scoring game.
GM Opens Up on Knicks Guard’s Trade Value
Though they were unable to make a move at this past trade deadline, perhaps the worst-kept secret regarding the New York Knicks is that, come the offseason, they’ll be heavily invested in trying to move on from the remaining two years of Evan Fournier’s contract.
Though at one point the wing may have been considered a highly valuable commodity, in the eyes of an anonymous Eastern Conference executive who recently spoke to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney, Leon Rose and company will likely have to attach some significant draft capital to make any sort of deal happen.
“Fournier is in that class of guys where you basically have to give away a first-round pick to get rid of him. And with Oklahoma City starting to get better, there aren’t many opportunities to make that kind of trade,” the GM told Deveney.
IN HIS BAGUETTE.
@EvanFourmizz finished the night with a season high 17 PTS 📊
Despite having only played a mere 23 games this season, during his sporadic instances of seeing significant playing time Fournier has still proven himself to be an efficient offensive contributor, as he has averaged 11.7 points per game on 42% shooting from distance when logging 20 or more minutes played.
The GM would continue to suggest that the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs could be teams in play to acquire the veteran’s services this summer.