Knicks third-year center Mitchell Robinson left Friday’s contest with the Wizards with a fracture in his right hand, per the team.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson suffered a fracture in his right hand, the team announced on Friday during its matchup with the Washington Wizards.
X-rays revealed that Mitchell Robinson fractured his right hand. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow in New York.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 13, 2021
Robinson, 22, left the game by halftime and did not return for the second half after scoring 10 points and collecting 14 rebounds against the Wizards. A third-year big, Robinson has started every game at center for the Knicks, 26 games in total, following a preseason that did solidify a starting role for the former second-round pick.
Robinson broke his fourth metacarpal on his right hand, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, and will undergo surgery. The timeline to return in 4-6 weeks.
ESPN Sources: Knicks center Mitchell Robinson will undergo surgery on his fractured right hand and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Robinson suffered a fracture of the fourth metacarpal on the hand on Friday night vs. Washington.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2021
Robinson has averaged 8.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 29.2 minutes per game during the 2020–21 NBA season, averaging a career-best 3.0 fouls a game entering Friday.
The Knicks recently signed veteran big man Taj Gibson, who played for Tom Thibodeau, like Derrick Rose, in both Chicago and Minnesota. Gibson has been used sparingly, only when backup center Nerlens Noel, signed in the offseason, has missed games. Now Noel and Gibson make up the center rotation during the expected time Robinson should miss with the broken hand.
Robinson’s absence—a timeline for recovery has not been given yet—further puts pressure on All-Star hopeful Julius Randle, who is leading the Knicks in the three major statistical categories: scoring, rebounding, and assists. Randle, in his second year with the Knicks, averages a double-double. Additionally, rookie forward Obi Toppin, who has been playing behind Randle off of the bench, could see his role increase as the Knicks search for frontcourt help.
This story has been updated after it was initially published.
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