Knicks Bet on the Long Game with Mitchell Robinson’s Load Management
The Knicks know what they have in Mitchell Robinson - a defensive anchor, a playoff game-changer, and the longest-tenured player on the roster. And right now, they’re playing the long game with him.
Robinson has been sitting out one leg of back-to-backs this season, part of a deliberate plan by head coach Mike Brown and the medical staff to preserve the big man for when it matters most: the postseason. After suiting up Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden against the struggling Kings, Robinson is slated to miss Wednesday’s road game in Toronto.
That decision has left some Knicks fans scratching their heads - and understandably so. The Raptors are a direct competitor in the Eastern Conference standings, and this isn’t just a random midweek matchup.
A win for Toronto could leapfrog them back into third place, tightening the race for playoff positioning. So, why rest Robinson now?
The answer likely lies in the logistics. Tuesday’s game was at home, where the Knicks’ medical and performance team can control every detail of Robinson’s pregame prep and postgame recovery.
Wednesday’s game in Toronto comes just 24 hours later, with the added wrinkle of international travel. For a player with Robinson’s injury history, those margins matter.
And that history is no small thing. From 2023 to 2025, Robinson missed a staggering 116 games - nearly 70% of the regular season.
That kind of availability (or lack thereof) can derail a team’s playoff hopes. But when he is on the floor, especially in the postseason, Robinson makes a tangible difference.
Just ask Jarrett Allen. The Cavaliers center’s candid comments about the atmosphere at MSG during the playoffs - immortalized in countless social media quote graphics - were a not-so-subtle nod to the chaos Robinson brings to opposing offenses.
Tuesday night was a reminder of that. The Knicks took care of business against Sacramento, thanks in large part to Robinson’s presence in the paint. His rim protection, rebounding, and ability to anchor the defense are the kind of things that don’t always show up in the box score - but they tilt games, especially in the grind-it-out moments of playoff basketball.
Still, the Knicks aren’t exactly cruising right now. That loss to a depleted Mavericks team on Martin Luther King Jr.
Day was a low point in an 11-game stretch where they managed just two wins. So while they sit at 28-18 after the win over the Kings, the margin for error in the East remains razor-thin.
Every game counts - and that includes Wednesday’s in Toronto.
But the Knicks are clearly prioritizing the bigger picture. They can’t guarantee Robinson stays healthy come playoff time, but they’re doing everything in their power to stack the odds in their favor. That means making tough calls - even if it means sitting a key player in a game with real seeding implications.
It’s a calculated risk. One that could sting in the short term, but pay off in the spring. Because if the Knicks want to make noise in the postseason, they’ll need Mitchell Robinson on the floor, not just in uniform - but at full strength, ready to change the game like he’s done before.