NBA: 11 players poised for a breakout season in 2019-20

11. Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks

Mitchell Robinson, who was a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, turned out to be one of the better rookies last year and could turn out to be a steal for the New York Knicks if he continues to develop as the rate he has thus far.

He’s already established himself as a terrific rebounder, finisher, and shot-blocker and is a guy, I think, that could lead the league in blocks as early as next season. During an impressive rookie campaign, Robinson averaged seven points, six rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

He will need to reduce his foul rate and work on becoming a more impactful team defender and I have little doubt he’ll do just that.

The Knicks being the Knicks did go out and make a number of weird signings in free agency that, on paper, do very little in terms of team cohesion, roster fit, and youth development. They have a number of bigs, some of whom will demand time at the five but I still expect David Fizdale to make Mitchell Robinson’s development a priority, playing him somewhere in the range of 27-28 minutes per game.

In a starting role, playing close to 30 minutes a night, I would expect Robinson to average around a double-double, while adding a little over two blocks a night.