ORLANDO, Fla. — Tom Thibodeau says it's been nearly eight months since his last game, but Mitchell Robinson still hasn't hit full speed or been cleared to practice. Still, he says he is encouraged by the center's progress in rehabilitation.
“He still has some hurdles to overcome, but he did a great job,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks' 108-85 win over the Magic. “He's light, lean and has worked extremely hard. So we just want to be patient and let him get through it.”
Being “light and toned” are important traits for Robinson, who needed to avoid putting pressure on his surgically repaired foot/ankle and had struggled with conditioning while recovering from a previous injury.
Thibodeau said Robinson's “next step” is to hit full speed.
“Once we get through that part, we'll make contact and probably be cleared for practice,” Thibodeau said.
However, there is no timeline for Robinson to jump those hurdles, and the team has avoided public updates.
The 26-year-old last played in the first round of the series against the Sixers in May, when he was involved in a fistfight with Joel Embiid and left the game with a walking boot.
Robinson's subsequent ankle surgery was initially described as minor and he was expected to return near the start of training camp.
That didn't happen, and Robinson, who traveled to Orlando with the Knicks for Friday's win, hasn't spoken to the media since last season.
With Jericho Sims the only current backup center, New York could certainly use his presence protecting the rim when healthy.
Robinson's availability will very likely dictate the Knicks' stance at the trade deadline.
Depending on his health, he could either be a key acquisition or a reason to find another frontcourt contributor.
If the former option is the case, Robinson will need to practice first.
“He's getting close to it,” Thibodeau said. “But I don’t really know when that will be.”
Thibodeau, who has been fired twice, called Mike Brown's firing from the Kings “unfortunate.”
“You all know what we're going through,” Thibodeau said. “He's a great person and a great coach.”
Brown snapped a five-game losing streak Friday against the Kings (13-18).
He was named Coach of the Year in Sacramento in 2023.
Landry Shamet, who re-signed with the Knicks after rehabbing from a torn shoulder, played meaningful minutes on Friday for the first time since returning from injury and being left out of the rotation for the first two games.
He scored 7 points in 10 minutes of play. For the game against the Spurs on Christmas Day, Thibodeau used eight players with backups Myles McBride, Precious Achiuwa and Cam Payne.
“We're still working on it [with Shamet]” Thibodeau. “He just came back and we're going to get through it.”
