History suggests Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson is likely done for the season

“This is an unfortunate injury to deal with as an explosive player due to the foot’s vital role in jumping and running. Rehab is usually initiated non-weight bearing, and as pain decreases and bone healing occurs, Mitchell [Robinson] should be progressively loading his foot and sports specific movements accordingly – which can take some time,” Dr. Eusebio added.

The average missed time in the NBA for this type of injury is roughly 39 games, according to sports injury expert and certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts who operates the website instreetclothes.com, which breaks down typical sports injuries for the fans. But as history suggests, the recovery period is longer for big men.

If there’s one thing going for Robinson in his uphill battle in recovery, it’s his age. The 7-foot-center just turned 23 Thursday.

Bad timing

The timing of the injury couldn’t come at the worst possible time as the Knicks are in the thick of a playoff hunt, and Robinson is eligible for a contract extension this summer.

Robinson, who has been durable in his first two seasons —only missing a total of 21 games—has already undergone surgery twice this season. The Knicks went 9-6 without him earlier in the season while recovering from a broken hand. They have lost their last two games since he went down with his latest injury, which he suffered in Milwaukee ironically against Lopez.

The Knicks have signed Norvel Pelle to a 10-day contract for their 14th roster spot as insurance in case Nerlens Noel or Taj Gibson misses time. They have pivoted from Andre Drummond, who eventually signed with the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, because they are still holding out hope on Robinson.

The Knicks front office wants to see more of Robinson, according to Ian Begley of SNY.

Can Robinson return to old form?

While it may take longer to recover, there’s no evidence to suggest that Robinson will not be back to his old form.

Lopez, Durant, and Simmons all survived and thrived after the injury. Only Rasheed Wallace, who was 38 and at the tail end of his career in 2013 with the Knicks, was forced to retire because of the same type of injury.

A study on NBA players who suffered Jones fracture from 1994 to 2013 has encouraging results for Robinson.

“Four of the 26 (15%) players did not return to play in a subsequent NBA game after the season in which a Jones fracture was sustained. Twenty-four of 26 (92%) athletes were treated with operative fixation, and 3 players (12%) underwent secondary reoperation. Recurrence of the injury was experienced by 5 players (19%),” said the study that was published online in the national library of medicine.

Lopez and Durant were the fourth and fifth NBA players who had re-surgery. Durant even had a third surgery. Simmons avoided it after he underwent a bone marrow injection.

Robinson’s value takes a hit

Robinson has a $1.8 million team option, which the Knicks will likely pick up for next season to make him a restricted free agent and buy them some more time to evaluate him.

Some teams were interested in trading for Robinson at the trade deadline, according to Begley. Those teams will likely take a wait-and-see approach after this latest setback in the young big man’s career.

Certainly, the injury has hit Robinson’s market value. But that should be further from Robinson’s mind as he needs to focus on his recovery. His performance after this injury will dictate his next contract—whether that will be with the Knicks or another team.

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