It was as clear as ever that Mitchell Robinson's internal presence had missed after the Knicks were dismantled in the last two games in Cleveland and Boston.
Now it appears that Robinson is approaching his return from an ankle injury that has been watching him on the sidelines since his last postseason.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said the 7-foot center looked “good” on Tuesday.
“Active,” Thibodeau said of Robinson. “It's very active.”
Nonetheless, Robinson misses another game on Wednesday.
Before Robinson was ruled out, Thibodeau said the team must see how his surgically repaired ankles responded to Tuesday's training.
Still, it's clear that Robinson is building a season debut.
So, how will that affect the Knicks team, which were not at their best defensively?
“Mitch is an elite pick-and-roll defender,” Thibodeau said. “[He’s] Ellie Trim Protector [and] An elite offensive rebounder. These are things that you know are important. ”
Thibodeau also said that Robinson's “league size and knowledge… he's a difficult person to measure statistically, but the value he brings to the team is amazing.”
No matter how much Robinson plays, he makes a difference defensively and on the board. Before the season, he led the Knicks with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game, tied to a team lead with 1.1 blocks per game.
Soon it will be Thibodeau to decide exactly how he uses it.
Following Tuesday's practice at Tarrytown, Thibodeau called Robinson the “start center” of the team, which was linked to his role a year ago before the town of Karl Anthony arrived. Maybe it was.
“I think you have to look at it and say, 'Mitch was predicted to be a starting center,'' said Thibodeau. “That means we've done [57] A game without a start center. …I think everyone did a really good job. Can we do better? We always believe we can do better. ”
Every time Robinson returns, he has to increase the number of minutes before a potential start becomes a consideration.
But in reality, he's already showing his teammate (old and new).
“Looking at him, that's good,” Cameron Payne said. “He blocked my shot today. I was a bit sick. [about it]. I was like, “I usually get it.” He was like, “No, I'm back.” That's what's happening. Covering each other is huge and he does an amazing job with it. ”
That's part of what the Knicks hopes will be a better defense in the future, but it's not just Robinson.
Payne admitted that the team needs to speak out more defensively.
“We have to communicate more to win the tough game against these good teams we've been with for a long time,” Payne said.
And he pointed out that he hurts them when trying to contain the pick and roll.
“That's what we have, 'ELC': fast, loud and continuous,” Payne said of their goals on defense. “So [on] Pick and roll coverage, we need to be louder and more vocal. And in our arena, we need to be louder. The communication is a factor of trust.”
Payne added that veterans such as himself, the town and Jalen Branson are key in that regard.
“It has to come from people getting older. “We saw it. We were there. Just know what's going on and help our teammates a little more. , I have to talk more about it.”
