Mitchell Robinson’s Knicks return comes with solid play and ‘smooth’ dunk

MEMPHIS — Mitchell Robinson’s long-awaited return was about as promising as the Knicks could’ve envisioned.

After roughly 10 months on the shelf, the longest-tenured Knick logged 12 minutes with six points and five boards in a thrilling 114-113 victory Friday night.

Robinson, who hadn’t played since undergoing ankle surgery in May, was called into action earlier than planned because of foul trouble to Karl-Anthony Towns.

He responded in the first shift with a driving dunk and a left-handed finish in the post.

“You saw that, huh? It was smooth,” Robinson said of his dunk. “I mean, that’s something we’ve been working on through the whole rehab process. I felt comfortable doing it.”

Robinson’s return coincided with the Knicks in desperate need for frontcourt and defensive help, with just one other natural center on the roster — Towns — and injuries starting to pile up as the season approaches the final quarter pole.

The expectation is that Robinson will operate under a minutes restriction in hopes of staying healthy and peaking for the playoffs.

He said the limit Friday night was 18, but he only managed 12, eating up a lot of the time designated lately for Precious Achiuwa, who only played four minutes against the Grizzlies.

Tom Thibodeau said he was impressed as the Knicks outscored the Grizzlies by 11 points with Robinson on the court.

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Mitchell Robinson, who had six points and five rebounds in his return to the lineup, slams home a dunk during the Knicks’ 114-113 win over the Grizzlies on Feb. 28, 2025.NBAE via Getty Images

“For the first game back, for the amount of time he’s been out, I thought it was really good,” the coach said. “We’ve been seeing it in practice, this was the next step, the pick-and-roll defense, the rim protection, the rebounding, he made a lot of good plays, just moving on penetration, pressure on the rim offensively, it opens up space for us. It’s really a game of space, so the more you can create space, the better your offense is going to be.”

Robinson has less than two months to develop chemistry with new teammates, regain his defensive rhythm and, perhaps most importantly given Robinson’s history, reach a conditioning level that will keep him on the court and promote health.

But it was a good start.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Robinson said. “But the urge to get back out there was there.”

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Mitchell Robinson goes up for a layup during the Knicks’ win over the Grizzlies.NBAE via Getty Images

Robinson, who has had feet and ankle problems and has undergone multiple surgeries, represents the Knicks’ top rim protector and offensive rebounder — two areas that have fallen off a cliff for the team this season.

His ability to play alongside Towns — much like Rudy Gobert did when he and Towns were Timberwolves teammates — could unlock a much higher defensive ceiling, attaching greater anticipation and expectations for his return.

The Knicks entered Friday ranked No. 21 in defense and No. 22 in offensive rebounds per game.

They were top four in offensive rebounds per game the past three seasons.

The front office also banked on Robinson’s big impact by standing pat at the trade ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, believing Robinson was better than the frontcourt depth pieces on the market.

Robinson’s availability became more important after news Friday that rookie center Ariel Hukporti is out for the season with a torn meniscus.

“Definitely impact on the defensive end is big time for us,” Miles McBride said. “Having a paint presence like that is huge. I know he’s going to get the rebounding back. Tonight was tough. There was a lot of 50-50 balls he didn’t come up with. But I know once he gets back in rhythm, he’ll get those.”