"I was guarding people with 1 foot": Mitchell Robinson hilariously points out silver lining after season-ending injury
The New York Knicks’ championship aspirations will have to continue minus Mitchell Robinson who suffered a season-ending injury. Stress to his surgically repaired left ankle will force the big man to play cheerleader until wherever the Knicks end up in the playoffs. Already without Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic, Tom Thibodeau’s squad will try to get the job done without another crucial piece to the roster.
On Tuesday, when he was informed by team officials that he was done for the season, Robinson was livid. He had back-to-back posts on X, formerly Twitter, that completely captured his emotion:
“This is not over!!! I WILL SEEK REVENGE”
“This is so f**ked up dawg like I don’t even know what to say.”
Eventually, Mitchell Robinson calmed down and even joked about his unfortunate situation:
“After hearing what happened yesterday I was upset but now I look back at it I was guarding people with 1 foot”
The Knicks made the right decision to shut him down even if it means they will be without their best rebounder and rim protector. They’ll have to rely more on Isaiah Hartenstein, OG Anunoby and even Josh Hart to fill up the void caused by Robinson’s absence.
Mitchell Robinson dealt with ankle issues for almost the entire year
Mitchell Robinson’s ankle issues started in December last year when he sprained it against the Boston Celtics. Robinson played only 19 minutes in the Knicks 133-123 loss against the team that would eventually rule the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks were forced to shelve him for 51 days as he recovered from the surgery to his left ankle.
Robinson returned on Mar. 27 but had been placed in strict load and minutes restriction. He played just 10 regular season games since suiting up again for the team and averaged 15.4 minutes per contest. The New York Knicks were happy he could make it to the playoffs even if he only had to play in limited minutes.
An encounter with Joel Embiid hastened his long vacation
Mitchell Robinson’s primary role in the Knicks-76ers first-round series was to gobble up rebounds and make life difficult for Joel Embiid. The Knicks hoped to get a 3-0 lead when they visited Philadelphia for the first time in the playoffs. During one crucial play, “The Process,” who fell on the floor, grabbed Robinson’s leg while the Knicks center went for a dunk.
Robinson didn’t get the lift he needed so he missed the shot and partly landed on Embiid, causing his left ankle to flare up again. New York held him out in Game 4 and allowed him a total of 43 minutes for Games 5 and 6.
Knicks fans were hoping Mitchell Robinson could get himself right for the Indiana Pacers series in the second round. But, he clearly struggled, seeing action for just 12 minutes in the series opener before the team announced it was shutting him down. Robinson, who had been guarding opposing players, including Joel Embiid, with one foot was finally done for the season.