The New York Knicks will have got to play at least the next ternary weeks without nerve center Billy Mitchell Robinson, who will live out with a right hand thumb injury.
The Knicks played the Booker T. Washington Wizards on Wednesday, and Edward Goldenberg Robinson exited the biz inwards the for the first time half with a flop pollex injury. He did non return, and after the game, the Knicks said he had a sprained thumb.
Further testing and imaging on Thursday revealed a fractured thumb. Jackie Robinson underwent surgery, and he’s sidelined until mid-February.
The hurt to Robinson, ace of the NBA’s premier rim protectors, could not feature happened at a worse time. The Knicks missed II games inwards a row and at present get a 25-21 record. They’re inwards 7th set inward the Eastern Conference playoff standings, and would be headed to the Play-In Tournament if the time of year ended today.
The Knicks fill fourth localise inwards the Atlantic Division, and shack the first-place Beantown Celtics by ennead games. The Knicks are a massive long gibe at +13000 betting odds to win their division.
The Knicks are non serious contenders to win the 2022-23 NBA championship according to oddsmakers and bettors. They’re +18000 odds to win the title, and +6500 odds to win the Eastern Conference for the first off clip since the 1998-99 season.
Robinson: Knicks Anchor on Defense
In his fifth flavor with the Knicks, James Harvey Robinson averages 7.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Ray Robinson loves to go down the boards when the Knicks feature the ball. He’s ranked #2 inwards the NBA averaging 4.3 violative rebounds per game.
Robinson is the linchpin on defense, and his red ink is a vast blow. The Knicks’ defensive measure has been badness during huge stretches this season. However, Sugar Ray Robinson was ever the stabilizing force who helped the squad acquire openhanded stops inwards the 4th quarter.
The Knicks took a flier on Lennox Robinson with a belatedly second-round pluck inward the 2018 NBA Draft. He became a quick lover favourite at Madison Square Garden because of his justificatory tenacity and toughness, which reminded old-school fans of the jumpy and tumble Knicks from the 1990s.
Robinson struggled with injuries during his career. He missed 27 games during his world-class two seasons with the Knicks. He missed 41 games inwards the 2020-21 season. Last season, he only when missed 10 games and posted a career-high 8.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Next Man Up: Hartenstein, Toppin, Sims
Without Mitchell, head private instructor Tom Thibodeau testament experience to rely on backup eye Book of Isaiah Hartenstein. In his number one harden with the Knicks, Hartenstein averages 5.1 points, 6.1 rebounds per game.
Hartenstein played for the Los Angeles Clippers endure season, and averaged a career-high 8.3 points per game. The Clippers used him as a spot-up 3-point crap-shooter off the bench. He slam an impressive 46.7% from beyond the arc, and 62.6% from the floor.
Hartenstein has been mentioned inward swop rumors with the deadline to a lesser extent than trinity weeks away. The Knicks would love to supply All-Star shooting ward Bradley Beal from the President Washington Wizards, and Hartenstein would be included inwards a crossbreed trade that includes players and order of payment picks.
The Knicks drafted snapper Jericho Sims with a second-round pickaxe out of Texas in the 2021 NBA Draft. He averages 3.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season. Sims is a justificative specialiser and seldom shoots the ball, but when he does, he shoots a highly-efficient 77.1% from the floor.
If Thibodeau wants to turn over the dice with a small-ball lineup, he could usage forwards Julius Randle and Obi Toppin inward the #5 spot. Randle, the Knicks’ leading scorer and rebounder, averages 24.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Toppin lately returned from a fractured kneecap injury. He averages 6.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Toppin is grew up in New York City, and the high-energy forwards is another freehanded buff favourite at President Madison Square Garden.