Mitchell Robinson has been one of the most impactful members of the New York Knicks’ rotation to begin the season. The 27-year-old rim-runner is averaging 3.9 points and 9 rebounds over seven games this season.
However, due to Robinson’s injury history, his minutes have been kept down to begin the season. During the Heat’s 113-115 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday, Nov. 17, Robinson saw the court for 18 minutes.
However, during his postgame news conference, head coach Mike Brown was quick to stress that Robinson has been cleared for increased game activity.
“It’s (Robinson’s minutes) gone up three times, and again, it’s all part of the load management thing,” Brown said. “So, it’s not necessarily a restriction; it’s just a continued process of load management. So, it’s gone up. He can play 20-something minutes right now. I threw Yabu in there because KAT got in foul trouble, and Yabu was playing well. So I didn’t go back to Mitch, but he’s definitely in the 20s.”
During his 18 minutes of playing time, Robinson scored 5 points, grabbed 11 boards, dished out an assist and registered a steal. Knicks fans will undoubtedly be excited to see him playing additional minutes as the season wears on, especially if he can continue his current level of impact.
Heat Looked To Limit Knicks From Deep
One of the key issues New York faced against Miami on Monday was getting their threes to fall. When speaking to the media after the game, Norman Powell admitted that Miami had put an onus on impacting New York’s jumpers, as they looked to win the “close-out battle.”
“The emphasis was winning the closeout. That closeout battle is huge, especially when they got Shamit and Clarkson and McBride, they got quick triggers,” Powell said via Zachary Weinberger of ClutchPoints. “So it was winning those closeout battles, being a step closer, making them put the ball on the ground instead of having to be able to lace it up.”
Powell continued.
“I mean, they still got. I’m going to say get 36 threes. They did a good job. You know, I think 25% is good. It made it tough for them. But that’s that mentality we have to have defensively, you know, making every level of the offense for the opposing team difficult. I thought we did a great job of imposing our will defensively.”
The Knicks ended the night shooting 25% from deep. Therefore, the Heat’s game plan certainly had the desired effect.
Knicks’ Josh Hart Praised Heat’s Style of Play
To begin the new season, the Heat have implemented a new-look offense, with a focus on playing faster and moving the ball at a higher rate. When speaking to the media after the game, Knicks wing Josh Hart heaped praise of how Erik Spoelstra has re-invented his team.
“You gotta give a lot of credit to Spo; I’m not sure how long he’s coaching this league, 15 or 20 years, and he really, this year, I feel like he kind of reinvented himself and their offense,” Hart said. “So you gotta give him a lot of credit for that. Those guys are balling in and are definitely a little bit different; not guarding ball screens and those kinds of things, but they do a great job of driving the gaps and playing off reads and misses.”
The Knicks are also navigating a change in system. Mike Brown has tasked the Knicks with playing faster and providing more off-ball movement. Therefore, Hart knows how difficult a change in style can be for the players. Nevertheless, Miami is clearly reaping the benfits of that adjustment, and in the long-term, so will the Knicks.
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