New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson warms up before a game against the Miami Heat. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Knicks' Mitchell Robinson Compared to Former All-Star

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson often goes overlooked when identifying the key players on the roster.

One of those who appreciates Robinson is new head coach Mike Brown, who compared the center to one-time NBA All-Star Antonio McDyess.

“First of all, he’s a great runner. Not a good runner, a great runner,” Brown said via New York Post reporter Zach Brazilier.

“And he’s got to — like all of us — play at this pace, especially all the time. We don’t wanna do it most of the time, we wanna do it all the time. Having said that, you know Mitch is a vertical threat. I’m just guessing off the top of my head. He might be the best vertical threat I’ve been around. Antonio McDyess was a tremendous vertical threat.

“But you can just close your eyes and throw it up there and he’d go get it. That’s something you can do with Mitch and some of the passes — I’m like, dang, that’s a bad pass — and he just catches it even with one hand sometimes and throws it down. So with his ability to be a vertical threat, it’s gonna help us in a lot of ways, but it definitely is better than what I thought coming in.”

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson warms up prior to game three of the second round for the NBA Playoffs Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Robinson compared to McDyess

Brown never coached McDyess, but he has been around the league since he was in his prime in the early 2000's. That kind of praise is big for Robinson, who is often viewed as the fifth starter for the Knicks.

If Robinson can play up to an All-Star level with the Knicks, they should be unstoppable this season. Robinson hopes to play more next to Karl-Anthony Towns to showcase his abilities.

“When you’re playing with two bigs, it’s going to be exciting to see,” Robinson said via Brazilier. “We did a little bit of it last year and we had success with it. So, we’re going to see how it goes from there.”

Robinson is able to be a center in his own right, which allows Towns to be more of a power forward, which he has found more success with during his career. If Robinson can continue to improve and become one of the top players in the frontcourt in the Eastern Conference, he could have a chance to help the Knicks reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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