Since New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson’s return from an ankle injury this season, he has largely been on a minutes restriction. After Monday’s 115-113 loss to the Miami Heat, head coach Mike Brown explained Robinson’s minutes a little more in depth.
Since his return, Robinson has yet to log 20 minutes in a game, and he logged just 18 minutes in the loss to the Heat, scoring five points and securing 11 rebounds in that span.
In particular, Robinson spent a long time on the bench while backup Guerschon Yabusele got the bulk of the burn. After the game, Brown told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that Robinson is healthy enough to play longer, but he simply liked what he saw out of Yabusele on Monday.
“He could’ve played 27 minutes,” Brown said. “But I threw Yabusele in the game because [Karl-Anthony Towns] picked up early foul trouble, and Yabusele was playing well. And so I didn’t go back to Mitch because of it, but he could definitely go in the 20s.”
Robinson is already one of the team’s most protected players, as he has yet to suit up for a back-to-back. For now, it seems like the Knicks will do whatever they can to ensure that the injury-prone Robinson doesn’t suffer any setbacks, as the team has higher aspirations than regular season wins in 2025-26.
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