Knicks Rumors: Mitchell Robinson Injury Update, Latest Timeline on Potential Return

The New York Knicks are about to get a key figure back into the lineup.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, starting center Mitchell Robinson is nearing a return. 

"I'm here to report that Robinson is closing in on his season debut. Sources tell me his goal is to make his return to the lineup at some point over the next week," he reported Sunday. "He's completed multiple full scrimmages over the last couple of days, and he's going to have another session scheduled for early in the week. And then the Knicks and Robinson will make a determination on when that target date [for a return] could be."

Robinson, 26, has missed the entire season after undergoing ankle surgery in May. He also had a procedure in Dec. 2023 for the same ankle issue.

When healthy, the veteran center provides a defensive presence at center for the Knicks. In 31 games last year he averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, and for his career he's averaged 7.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest. 

There will be some questions about the team's lineup balance upon his return, with the starting 5 of Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson likely to remain intact. That group is outscoring opponents by 5.4 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com, and has a strong offensive rating of 118.5.

But having Robinson available for the second unit will allow the Knicks to have more of a defensive presence off the bench and will give Tom Thibodeau the option to play around with bigger lineups should he want to move Towns over to the 4. That optionality, paired with the added depth and defensive presence of Robinson, makes his potential return fantastic news for the 37-19 Knicks as they seek to end a title drought dating back to the 1972-73 season.