INDIANAPOLIS — By now, Mitchell Robinson’s rebounding skills aren’t really surprising; they’ve become a notable part of his game.
Yet, even for him, his latest performance stood out.
He achieved a career-high 22 rebounds in the Knicks’ match against the Pacers on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with nine of those being offensive rebounds.
What’s almost equally significant, I think, is that he logged 31 minutes on the court—his longest stretch this season.
“It definitely feels good,” Robinson mentioned. “It’s the first time I’ve played over 30 minutes. To go out there and contribute like that shows all the hard work I’ve put in.”
Interestingly, Robinson has already participated in more games this season than he did in the past two combined. The Knicks have had a careful management strategy for him—he typically doesn’t play both games in back-to-back series and sometimes even skips non-back-to-back games. While it seems effective, it’s also been a bit challenging for him.
His minutes are likely to continue increasing, which could be beneficial for the Knicks as they head into the playoffs.
“Obviously it worked,” coach Mike Brown said. “It’s a testament to his ability to stay on the floor and contribute for extended minutes tonight.”
On a related note, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns missed Friday’s game due to knee soreness, and Jeremy Sochan was sidelined with an illness.
Amid the limited roster, Pacome Dadiette got some rare playing time. In fact, he was the first one off the bench in the first quarter, along with Ariel Hukporti.
When the shot clock ran down in that same quarter, Dadiette made an impressive 30-foot three-pointer right from the logo. He also saw a bit more action during the third quarter.
