1 Overlooked and forgotten rotation player could end up playing a key role for the New York Knicks and a potential NBA Finals run.
After getting off to a shaky start to the season, there haven't been many teams better than the New York Knicks over the past six weeks. In fact, since November 15, the Knicks are 19-6 and have a top 5 offensive and net rating. Their defense continues to be a work in progress but it's certainly coming along. Overall, the only two teams that have a better record during that stretch is the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers.
But even as the Knicks continue to play their way into a potential championship contender, there's still much to be desired in terms of overall depth for the team, especially in the frontcourt. While there's an expectation that the Knicks will scour the trade market for an upgrade before the deadline to help on that front, I can't help but wonder if there's a player who is expected back from injury soon that could end up being their answer to their concerns - and that's Mitchell Robinson.
As Robinson inches closer and closer to a return to the Knicks' rotation, the early word is that there could be some trade interest in the 7-foot center. However, at least for now, there's a belief that New York would much rather have a healthy Robinson backing up Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been fantastic for the team this season, rather than trade him.
Mitchell Robinson could play a key role for the New York Knicks
That's why it's feasible to suggest that Robinson could be an unlikely role for the Knicks as they look to take their play to the next level once the season starts. For as good as the Knicks have looked of late, if there's one Achilles heel that could do this team in, it's probably a lack of depth. But that's where Robinson could greatly help this team when he returns.
There's an expectation that Robinson is set to return at some point in January after offseason foot surgery. And if Robinson can have the level of impact he's proven to have when he's been healthy over the course of his career, there's reason to believe that he could emerge as an increasingly important player for New York down the stretch.
Even though there's reason to believe that the Knicks could be eyeing a potential move at the trade deadline, it's pretty safe to assume that they'd much rather keep Robinson out of those talks for now. The value that he presents to the team when he's healthy and on the court is probably going to be far more likely than what he could provide the team on the trade block. And even though he hasn't played much this season, Robinson could end up playing a key role for the team down the stretch and into the postseason.