Knicks Make Head-Scratching Mitchell Robinson Decision

And that is why the team’s decision to hold him out for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors is all the more head-scratching.

Robinson hasn’t played in any back-to-back sets yet this season. It is part of the team’s injury management plan to help keep him healthy, so this was likely planned well in advance.

Sitting out games has been a challenge for him at points in time; he wants to play in every game. But he knows this plan has been put in place to help him, and it has been working to this point.

However, choosing to have him available in a game against the Sacramento Kings, who are now 12-36 after New York defeated them 103-87, makes little sense.

The Knicks hadn’t been playing well, but they still have more than enough to handle a lowly Kings team at home while being motivated by an embarrassing performance against them on the road less than two weeks ago.

Regardless, New York should have been prioritizing having their best players available for a game against an Atlantic Division opponent with whom they are in a virtual tie in the standings. The Raptors are also 10 games over the .500 mark at 29-19, while the Knicks are 28-18.

Knicks should have had Robinson available against Raptors

In two games against Toronto this season, Robinson has pulled down 20 rebounds, 11 of which were on the offensive glass, to go along with four assists, one steal and one block in just under 33 minutes of action.

The Raptors are without starting center Jakob Poeltl, who is dealing with a back strain and hasn’t played since Dec. 21. His absence could have certainly played a part in how the New York navigated this back-to-back set.

However, there is only so much a team can control. Miles McBride is also sidelined for the matchup against Toronto, meaning Mike Brown will be without arguably his two best defensive players in a huge matchup on the road.

Having at least one of them in the lineup each night, instead of being without both against the Raptors, would have been a more ideal scenario. Instead, Brown is now going to have to dig deeper into his depth chart with two of the new eight-man rotation being sidelined.