Knicks taking load management to new level when it come to Mitchell Robinson
All that’s missing is bubble wrap.The Knicks are doing everything possible to keep the oft-injured Mitchell Robinson healthy, sitting him for a good portion of the preseason.It continued in the exhibition finale Friday night against the Hornets — a 113-108 Knicks victory — with Robinson healthy but inactive.Load management is nothing new in the NBA, and the Knicks figure to utilize it more under new coach Mike Brown than former coach Tom Thibodeau.“If it was a regular game or a playoff game, to my understanding Mitch was going to play,” Brown said.Brown said that Casey Smith, who leads the team’s performance group, advised the team to hold out the 7-foot-1 Robinson, an elite rim-protector and offensive rebounder.Asked if there is a specific plan for the regular season, in terms of minutes and games played for Robinson, Brown said he wasn’t told of one yet.“Our performance group, led by Casey, and it’s above my head in terms of getting into the specifics with it,” he said, when asked the reasoning behind the move.Robinson was held out of Monday’s exhibition and played just 13 minutes in the previous contest.
Robinson has only now practiced recently, which the Knicks say is part of their plan.Robinson appeared in just 17 games during the regular season last year.After Robinson made his debut on Feb.
28, the team often limited his minutes and didn’t have him play in back-to-backs.Entering the final season of his contract, Robinson did shine in the playoffs, helping the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
He averaged 4.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and notched a NET rating of plus-2.7 in the postseason — meaning the Knicks outscored the opposition by 2.7 points per 100 possessions with Robinson on the floor.Injuries have been a constant for Robinson, who has averaged 48.1 regular season games in his seven-year career.Considering his impact when healthy, it makes sense that the Knicks are doing everything poss...