Knicks' Mitchell Robinson to Have Ankle Surgery; Injury Reevaluation in 8-10 Weeks

The New York Knicks will be without their most important defensive player for the foreseeable future.

The team announced on Monday that center Mitchell Robinson will undergo surgery on his left ankle this week and is expected to be reevaluated in eight to 10 weeks.

Robinson has started all 21 games for the 12-9 Knicks and leads the team with 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while also averaging 6.2 points on 59.6 percent shooting. He injured his ankle in Friday's 133-123 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Without Robinson in the lineup, Isaiah Hartenstein will likely fill his spot as the starting center, and Jericho Sims can be expected to see increased minutes off the bench. New York star forward Julius Randle will also see more time as a small-ball five in Robinson's absence.

In addition to Robinson's injury, Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson also suffered an ankle injury late in Friday's game. Brunson, who leads the team with 24.8 points and 5.5 assists per game, was inexplicably on the floor with 21 seconds left and New York trailing by 12. The floor general is considered questionable for Monday's game against the Toronto Raptors.

These injuries come at a less-than-ideal time for the Knicks, who are about to embark on a tough stretch of games. Following Monday's matchup at home against Toronto, eight of New York's next 10 games will be on the road, and nine of them will be against teams with winning records.

While it's still somewhat early in the season, the Knicks are surely hoping to avoid falling behind in the competitive Eastern Conference.