Mitchell Robinson gave the Knicks a lot more than box-score noise. When he was healthy and on the floor, he was one of the league’s most disruptive bigs, blending efficient finishing, historic offensive rebounding and elite defense in a way New York simply can’t replace with one player.
That’s why the loss hits Jalen Brunson so hard.
The Knicks brought in Andre Drummond to help cover for Robinson’s absence, and he can absolutely do some of the same dirty work. He’s a strong screener and a reliable rebounder. But he is not Robinson, and that difference matters most for Brunson.
The two had built real chemistry in the two-man game. Robinson finished the season with the second highest points per possession in the league on plays where he was the roll man. That kind of production forced defenses into a nasty choice every time Brunson came off a pick-and-roll: stay home on Robinson at the rim, or load up on Brunson.
Drummond changes that equation. He can set the screen, but he graded out much worse as a finisher last season.
That gives defenses more freedom to attack Brunson at the point of attack, or send help when he drives. Brunson is smart enough to work through a lot of coverages - he’s a cerebral player who has already solved plenty of defensive looks - but the loss of Robinson’s vertical threat makes the job tougher.
There’s also a shooting angle here. Brunson already took a step back from three last season, hitting 36.9% after three straight years at 38% or better.
And some of his best perimeter work has come off Robinson’s passes. He shot 20 of 39 on threes off Robinson passes this past season, and he was 12 of 20 in 2022-23.
That connection wasn’t just about Robinson’s offensive rebounding, either. Over the last few seasons, he got better at finding shooters right after grabbing a board. The Knicks can try to coach Drummond into doing the same, but there’s no guarantee he can match Robinson there, especially since he’s older and less athletic.
Robinson helped Brunson on defense, too. Brunson is still often a negative defender because of his size and lack of elite athleticism, but Robinson’s rim protection and ability to switch out to the perimeter made those pairings workable. The numbers backed that up: among the Knicks’ 78 two-man combinations that played more than 100 minutes last season, Brunson and Robinson ranked 10th in offensive rating and posted a +11 net rating.
Drummond may help New York recreate pieces of that formula. But the Knicks know it won’t be the same, and Brunson is the one who stands to feel that most.
Mitchell Robinson even made sure to leave him a message: “JB my guy i love you and ima miss you brotha! Keep proving them wrong!”
In Other News...
Knicks Championship Window Suddenly Faces A Karl-Anthony Towns Pressure Point
The Knicks have spent plenty of time building toward a title window, but the next layer of roster planning may be just as important as the current one. Karl-Anthony Towns is already locked into a massive deal, and his salary climbs to $57.1 million in 2026-27, which means New York has to keep one eye on the court and another on the cap sheet while trying to hold this group together.
The bigger pressure point arrives after that, when Towns can choose whether to pick up a player option worth roughly $62 million for 2027-28, seek a longer-term arrangement or simply take the situation year by year. For a team trying to stay competitive without losing flexibility, that gives Towns real leverage and leaves the Knicks navigating the kind of second-apron math that can shape a contender long before the playoff run is over. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Should Never Have Entertained A Mario Hezonja Return
The idea of Mario Hezonja back in New York has enough nostalgia attached to make a few Knicks fans pause, especially with the roster still carrying only one open spot and a clear need for forward depth. Hezonja last played for the Knicks in 2018-19, and the conversation around a possible reunion picked up because the fit looked at least theoretical on paper.
Still, the memories attached to his brief time in New York are doing most of the heavy lifting. Hezonja is better remembered for a couple of wild highlights than for sustained production, and he has spent the last four years with Real Madrid in the EuroLeague, which is where he remains for now. For a team trying to sort out its own roster reality, that kind of reunion always felt more like a thought exercise than a real plan. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Enter Next Season As The Team To Beat In The East
The Knicks head into the 2026-27 season sitting atop the Eastern Conference power rankings, and the reason is pretty straightforward: they kept the heart of a championship core together. Even with Mitchell Robinson gone in free agency, New York has stayed intact enough around the edges to make the league treat it like the standard-bearer in the East, with the front office moving quickly to fill the void and preserve the identity that carried the group to the top.
Philadelphia has tried to make the conversation more complicated with a major offseason push, but the Knicks still come in as the team everyone else is chasing. That status brings its own pressure, of course, because being No. 1 in July or August means little once the games start, and New York will spend the next season trying to prove it can hold off a conference that is clearly loading up for a run at the throne. [Read more 🡒]