Over the past few years, the league has seen the center position evolve and become a more vital part of each team. Players such as Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns and 76ers’ Joel Embiid have established themselves as superstar talents that can do it all on the court. A more popular build, however, is the rim runner, a big that crashes the boards, defends well and finishes in the paint.
Mitchell Robinson, rookie center for the New York Knicks, has imposed his will on defenders throughout the season and is well on his way to becoming one of the better rim runners in the league.
Robinson’s Path to the NBA
It wasn’t smooth sailing to get to this point, though. Robinson, the No. 36 selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, elected to skip college to prepare for the draft despite being a five-star athlete, McDonald’s All-American and the No. 11 ranked prospect in the ESPN Top 100 of 2017.
Robinson had committed to Western Kentucky University in June 2016 and would have been the program’s highest ranked prospect in history. He mysteriously abandoned the team and school before the season and ultimately chose to train for the NBA Draft in June 2018.
The decision to forego his collegiate career came after a dominant four years of high-school basketball. In Robinson’s junior year, he averaged 19.6 points per game (PPG), 12.5 rebounds per game (RPG) and 7.9 blocks per game (BPG). His senior year numbers were just as impressive: 25.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG and 6.0 BPG.
The one-and-done rule
If Robinson had played before 2006, he may have entered his name into the NBA Draft and likely would have been a lottery selection. However, NBA rules forbid Robinson from doing this.
What many call the “one-and-done” rule was established and went into effect starting with the 2006 NBA Draft. The rule required players entering the draft to turn 19 years old in the calendar year of the draft, and if the player is not an international prospect, the player must be one year removed from his high school graduation.
The rule was established 11 years after future hall-of-famer Kevin Garnett was drafted No. 5 out of high school in 1995. Fellow future hall-of-famers Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwight Howard also entered the NBA directly from high school.
During the 1995-2005 span, most high-school athletes failed at amassing great success. Taj McDavid, a 6-foot-6 guard from South Carolina, was the third high-school player to enter his name into the 1996 draft. He went undrafted and was the driving force towards establishing the “one-and-done” rule.
McDavid’s high-school stats sprung off the page but still failed to gain traction from NBA teams. He averaged 26.1 PPG, 12.6 RPG and 2.4 BPG. McDavid played in a small league where he was easily the best and tallest player.
McDavid wasn’t ready for the NBA, and if he played in college, it is still uncertain whether he would have been an NBA-level prospect. Regardless, his decision helped form the “one-and-done” rule which protects athletes from entering the league too early.
2018 NBA Draft
Robinson’s aforementioned decision to skip college came at an expensive cost. In a CBS Sports preseason mock draft, Robinson was projected to go No. 13 despite his decision to relinquish his collegiate career.
However, Robinson’s draft stock plummeted as the season went on. His secretive workouts throughout the year left organizations out of the loop and forced them to scout with limited high-school footage.
Front offices were hit with yet another questionable decision from the former projected lottery pick. Robinson withdrew from the NBA Combine, a place where all NBA teams can get a look and the physical tools and measurements that a prospect possesses.
It was rumored that the Lakers promised to select him with the No. 25 pick, so there was no reason for Robinson to risk injury playing in any combine games. This decision also allowed Robinson to keep teams from keening in on his weaknesses, which would have lowered his draft stock even further.
On draft night, the promise proved to be just a rumor, and the Lakers selected Michigan center Moritz Wagner. Robinson went undrafted through the first round, and the uncertainty around his future continued to hover over his name.
With that said, Robinson soon found a new home with the New York Knicks at pick 36. The Knicks welcomed him along with Kentucky star Kevin Knox, who was selected with the No. 9 pick.
NBA Summer League
Immediately following draft night, the general consensus believed the Knicks drafted a gem in Robinson. This notion was proven right two weeks later in the NBA Summer League.
Robinson’s impact was felt immediately by the rest of the league. He displayed his bouncy athleticism on the glass and defensive end as he averaged 4.0 BPG through five games, which is the most in NBA Summer League history. He also added a strong 13.0 PPG and 10.2 RPG on 67 percent shooting from the field in just 24.7 minutes per game (MPG). Of the 10.2 rebounds, 6.2 were offensive rebounds – the most in summer league history.
Robinson’s stats were very comparable to Deandre Ayton‘s despite being taken 35 picks later. Ayton averaged 14.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG and only 1.0 BPG on 60 percent shooting through four games.
Robinson’s stats jumped off the page, but Robinson being in shape stood out the most since he sat out from basketball for a year. He was highly touted due to his athleticism, so it was imperative for him to showcase his bounce early and often.
Rookie Season
The Knicks entered the 2018-2019 season with their sights set on Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett, so there was no pressure on Robinson to produce right away. Starting the season behind center Enes Kanter, Robinson only played 17.2 MPG through his first 28 games. He averaged only 4.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG but blocked an impressive 1.8 blocks in his limited minutes.
An underrated moment for the Knicks and especially Robinson was the blockbuster trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks acquired Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan in the transaction – both of whom have helped and will continue to develop Robinson.
Smith is projected to be the Knicks’ point guard of the future after New York struck out on Frank Ntilikina, Trey Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay. A Smith-Robinson pick-and-roll offense could be the future of the Knicks’ offensive scheme.
Jordan plays the same rim-running role as Robinson. Acquiring Jordan allows the veteran center to teach the rookie how to become an All-NBA center in the future. The second half of the season has been nothing short of spectacular for the rook.
The next 34 games saw Robinson play an extra five minutes per game, averaging 22.2. During this span he averaged 9.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG and an eye-opening 3.0 BPG. If Robinson were to play 36 MPG during this stretch, he would be averaging 4.86 BPG which ranks third all time behind Mark Eaton and Manute Bol.
The Knicks’ game against the Miami Heat was the first time Robinson was named the starting center since acquiring Jordan. He’s started every game since then and has impressed in each outing.
Despite only playing 20 MPG, Robinson is second in the league in blocks per game only behind Indiana’s Myles Turner (2.7 BPG). As a rookie, Robinson is already ahead of the best shot blockers in the league. Anthony Davis (2.41 BPG) and Rudy Gobert (2.29) are both averaging less than Robinson this season.
Smashing Rookie Records
Robinson’s season is yet to conclude, but he has already crushed multiple rookie records set by former Knicks and Spurs.
Robinson has broken Knicks legend Patrick Ewing’s rookie block record. The 2019 rookie now has blocked a shot in 35 straight contests, breaking Ewing’s previous rookie record of 28 games. Porzingis’ 134 blocks in his rookie season was also put to rest as Robinson has blocked 152 shots.
Legendary Spurs center David Robinson has also had his rookie block record shattered. For 25 straight games, the Spurs rookie blocked two or more shots. The Knicks rookie is up to 26 straight games with multiple rejections. He holds second place all time with only Bol (45 games) ahead of him.
Another Spurs legend’s record is in danger of being taken down. Tim Duncan has the highest rookie blocks-per-game average (2.51) for rookies that played at least 40 games. Robinson currently holds a 2.45 average with four games remaining in the season.
The Knicks’ rook is also on pace to be the first rookie in NBA history to average 2.4 BPG on 60 percent shooting.
Outlook
Robinson has cemented his place in the record books as well as the Knicks’ starting center for years to come. He turned 21 years old on April 1 and celebrated in the only appropriate way: taking shots.
Through 62 games, the second-round draft pick is averaging 7.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 2.5 BPG in just 20 MPG. His minutes per game average has seen an increase lately as Robinson has taken over the starting job, while Jordan has been riding the pine in the past three contests.
With the 2019 offseason looming, it’s unknown who the Knicks will acquire with the two max contract slots they possess. With the free agency additions along with the top-five pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Robinson’s progression may slow down due to a lack of touches.
That said, however, the Knicks will have Robinson at the forefront of their defense regardless of who they bring in. His role as a rim runner will remain the same. The rebounding, shot blocking and athleticism he brings will be valued and help turn the Knicks’ franchise around in the near future.
