Ankle injuries wrecked Mitchell Robinson’s 2024-25 season. He went down in early December and didn’t come back until March, and then he was lost for good by early May. Each absence saw him go under the knife.

When he first went down, the Knicks were 12-9 and tied for seventh in the East standings. By the time he made it back on March 27, they had improved their record to 43-28 and climbed third in the conference. They’d also found a new starting center in Isaiah Hartenstein, who played well enough in Robinson’s absence to earn a three-year, $87 million commitment from the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer.

Robinson, whose length and bounce surfaces in his above-the-rim finishing and paint protection, wasn’t New York’s most impactful center last season. The Knicks actually fared 4.6 points per 100 possessions with him than without, per NBA.com. Meanwhile, Hartenstein’s presence made them 10.2 points better per 100 possessions.

New York needs Robinson to be a difference-maker. Hartenstein is gone, and Precious Achiuwa, Robinson’s new backup, is more of a combo big who lacks the size to hang with bigger centers (6’8″, 225 lbs). The Knicks need Robinson to stay on the floor and, frankly, make a bigger impact when he’s out there. If he can’t do that, New York could be in the market for a new big man.