Game 1 of the NBA Finals is only hours away, and the New York Knicks have been preparing for days to make the necessary adjustments. While there may be no direct counter to San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, a stacked frontcourt may be the only way for them to keep up with one of the league’s rising superpowers.
That’s what makes veteran center Mitchell Robinson’s availability such an important factor. In the last update, we heard that he was planning to play through a pinkie fracture, but later reports revealed that he’s actually suffering from a broken hand (his fifth metacarpal, specifically). Fortunately, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, he’s still expected to be available for Game 1.
“Sources tell me that Mitchell Robinson is fully expected to play in Game 1 tonight, against the San Antonio Spurs. He will be a go,” said Shams on NBA Today. “He was a full participant in practice on Tuesday for the Knicks, and that right hand; there’s going to be wrapping around it, there’s gonna be some level of bracing for that injury. He suffered, essentially, a hand fracture, a fracture to that pinkie area.”
Robinson, 28, looked healthy in the Game 4 win over the Cavaliers. In 18 minutes, he dropped eight points, 10 rebounds, and one steal on 66.7% shooting (4-6) from the field. It’s a mystery what caused the hand injury, but head coach Mike Brown confirmed that it didn’t happen during any team-related activities.
Before tip-off on Wednesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed the setback as a “boxer’s fracture,” a metacarpal injury that typically results from hard, physical contact. While he didn’t say the words out loud, it sounds like he’s accusing Robinson of striking someone or something with his hand/fist.
“The Knicks showed their hand, so to speak, because it wasn’t his pinky,” said Windhorst. “It was his fifth metacarpal. It’s a broken hand. When you break this part of your hand, it’s known as a boxer’s fracture because most of the time it means you hit something.”
We may never know the true story behind this injury, but some fans speculate that it could be the result of an outburst of anger or rage.
“No wonder the Knicks wouldn’t say how the injury happened, sounds like maybe he punched something, maybe related to the mental health stuff he’s been dealing with that Lisa Salters reported on towards the end of their series vs the Cavs,” one fan wrote. “Hope he’s good.”
However it happened, there’s no denying that he let his teammates down. With these games being the most important of his career, now was the wrong time for Robinson to compromise his own availability
“Biggest game of his life, and he really let his teammates down with this,” one fan wrote. “The biggest Knicks game ever in its history, and he’s been so irresponsible. We simply CANNOT pay and bring this guy back. It’s literal hell dealing with this guy every year.”
Some fans feared the worst: that Mitchell hurt his hand punching someone. So far, no evidence supports this theory, but it’s a possibility that can’t be ignored, given the mysterious nature of the injuries.
“Oh boy, this is about to be a crazy story cuz now he punched something or someone,” one fan wrote.
Against a rising Spurs team that looks increasingly unstoppable, the Knicks will need all hands on deck just to keep up. All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns will provide his usual boost in scoring, but the Knicks will also need Robinson’s defensive presence off the bench to hold down the paint and contest shots under the rim.
Fortunately, Robinson’s injury is the type you can play through, but it could hamper his impact for the rest of the series. With averages of 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game on 72.3% shooting from the field this season, we can’t expect his usual production, but the Knicks are hoping that his presence will be enough to help contain the likes of Wembanyama, Luke Kornet, and Julian Champagnie.
