Knicks' Mitchell Robinson Explains Why Opponents See Him 'As a Threat and S--t'

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson takes it as a compliment when teams employ the "hack-a" strategy on him during games.

Robinson told reporters that teams see him "as a threat and s--t" when they try to send him to the free-throw line.

"It means they want me off the floor. They see me as a threat and s--t," he said.

Robinson's struggles as a free-throw shooter throughout his career have made him an easy target for opposing teams. He has made just 50.8 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe in eight NBA seasons.

This season was Robinson's worst year at the line with a 40.8 percent success rate. The strategy can backfire on opposing teams because it can allow the Knicks to get into the bonus earlier.

Knicks head coach Mike Brown has said they will evaluate how a game is going to determine if they need to take Robinson out when teams start fouling him.

"We'll see how the game goes, and we'll leave him in until we think we need to make a sub," Brown said after Game 1 against Atlanta. "And whenever we feel like we need to make a sub, we will. But we're gonna give him a chance."

The Atlanta Hawks haven't yet taken full advantage of the hack-a-Mitch formula through first two games of their series against the Knicks. He has only attempted six free throws in 33 minutes, making just two of them.

Robinson was terrific in Game 2, though the Knicks weren't able to take advantage of it. He put up 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds (four offensive) in 18 minutes, but the Knicks were outscored 28-15 in the fourth quarter to lose the game.

Few players in the league are as good on the offensive glass as Robinson. He averaged 4.2 offensive rebounds per game during the regular season, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons he has been over 4.0 in that category.

The Knicks will need Robinson to keep playing well in his minutes as they look to regain the advantage in the series. New York and Atlanta will play Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.