Mitchell Robinson Key for Knicks In Surprising Way

The New York Knicks are thrilled about how things turned out at the trade deadline for them.

The Knicks faced a lot of pressure from the outside to trade for a backup center since Mitchell Robinson was still on the sidelines nursing an ankle that went through major offseason surgery.

The Knicks took a risk by opting to keep Robinson, but that appears to be paying off so far in the playoffs. Robinson played a massive role in the team's Game 1 win against the Boston Celtics, earning praise from head coach Tom Thibodeau.

“I think he was a plus-13 when on the floor,” Thibodeau said via The Athletic insider James Edwards III. “The reason they’re doing it is to try and get him off the floor. He gives us the ability to switch more but also rim protect and rebound. If they’re not in the penalty, then we can lean on him and go from there.”

Robinson made just 3 of 10 from the free throw line, but Thibodeau chose to keep Robinson on the floor due to his defensive prowess.

His defensive efforts also caught the attention of his teammate Josh Hart.

“He knows how important he is to this team,” Hart said before Game 6 in Detroit via Edwards.

“I don’t know what the numbers are, but from my perception, he’s been shooting free throws very well. If they’re going to do that, let them do that. We’ll get stops. He’s so important to us defensively. Even if he makes one out of two, if we get five stops in a row and they foul him five times in a row and he makes five free throws, then we’re a plus-5. We got faith in him on both sides of the court.”

If Robinson can continue playing at this level for the Knicks, the team has a puncher's chance to get past the defending champion Celtics.