Report: Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to miss rest of season due to ankle injury
The Knicks applied for a disabled player exception for $7.8 million on Wednesday as a result of Robinson’s injury
Mitchell Robinson’s season is over.
The New York Knicks center is expected to miss the rest of the season after he underwent ankle surgery last week, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Knicks applied to the NBA for a disabled player exception for $7.8 million on Wednesday as a result of Robinson’s injury.
The New York Knicks have applied to the NBA for a Disabled Player Exception worth $7.8 million as the franchise projects center Mitchell Robinson will miss the rest of the season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Major development as Robinson had ankle surgery last week. pic.twitter.com/8EvjWfI9qA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 21, 2023
Robinson hurt his left ankle in a loss to the Boston Celtics earlier this month. He returned to the game briefly in the second half after initial X-rays came back negative, but he didn't play in the fourth quarter and has not played since.
Then, last week, the Knicks announced that Robinson had undergone surgery on his ankle. The Knicks expected Robinson to miss 8-10 weeks recovering, which would've put him on track to rejoin the team before the end of the regular season.
But by applying for the disabled player exception on Wednesday, the Knicks are planning for Robinson to be out through the end of the year.
Robinson, 25, was averaging a career-low 6.2 points and a career-high 10.3 rebounds per game before he went down. He was shooting just shy of 60% from the field this season, his sixth with the Knicks after they selected him with the No. 36 overall pick in 2018. Robinson is in the second year of a four-year, $60 million deal.
The Knicks have already signed veteran big man Taj Gibson to try to fill Robinson’s shoes. Gibson was a free agent and played last season with the Washington Wizards mostly off the bench. The 38-year-old has played on three other teams led by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, including once previously with the Knicks, which should make him an easy fit to jump right in.
The Knicks hold a 16-11 record after beating the Brooklyn Nets 121-102 on Wednesday at the Barclays Center. Julius Randle led the team with 26 points, and Donte DiVincenzo added 23 points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein — who started at center in place of Robinson or Jericho Sims, who is now sidelined due to a mild ankle sprain of his own — finished with two points and 10 rebounds.
