Knicks News: Mitchell Robinson out for Season Opener Because of Ankle Injury

The New York Knicks announced Wednesday that starting center Mitchell Robinson will miss the team's season opener versus the San Antonio Spurs with a sprained right ankle.

The team also announced that Taj Gibson is available. He was questionable coming into Wednesday with a sore right calf.

It's unclear how David Fizdale will work his starting lineup with Robinson out of action. As Ian Begley of SNY wrote Tuesday, he'll have some options: 

"Prior to [Robinson's] injury, RJ Barrett, Marcus Morris and Julius Randle were expected to start against San Antonio. That may remain the case, but if Robinson can't play, Randle could slide to center. The Knicks could also start Bobby Portis at center in place of Robinson. Taj Gibson is another option [...]."

The other question for the Knicks will be in the backcourt, where Begley reported the team was considering giving Allonzo Trier the start.

It remains to be seen if he would get the nod at point guard with Barrett at the 2, or if Barrett would slide to the 3 and Trier would play shooting guard alongside Dennis Smith Jr., Elfrid Payton or Frank Ntilikina.

"It affects a lot of stuff, especially our defense," Fizdale said of Robinson's injury on Tuesday, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "Hopefully he's young and it heals fast and can go out there. I don't think he needs any of that [an MRI exam or X-rays]. It's just a regular sprain."

He did deal with two ankle sprains last season and a knee injury over the summer, so injuries are becoming something of a concern for the young center.

Regardless, Robinson will resume his starting duties once he's healthy. The 21-year-old center impressed during his rookie season, appearing in 66 contests (19 starts) while averaging 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and a whopping 2.4 blocks in just 20.6 minutes per game. 

After being a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Robinson has established himself as one of the young building blocks for the Knicks, alongside Barrett, Kevin Knox and Smith.

While New York brought in a number of veterans this offseason, it will be the development of those four players that will be most interesting for Knicks fans this season.

In Robinson, the team appears to have a legitimate rim-protecting center, giving them a defensive backbone. Now, the team will have the chance to see if players like Barrett, Knox and Smith can surround him with perimeter scoring and creation, or if those roles will need to be addressed in future drafts and signings.