Troubling report surfaces about Mitchell Robinson’s foot injury

Oct 24, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) celebrates after scoring against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks will be without starting center Mitchell Robinson for far longer than originally anticipated.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Post shared a troubling report on Wednesday about the nature of Robinson’s foot injury. Bondy reveals that Robinson’s injury, which was never fully disclosed by the Knicks, was a fracture that required the insertion of screws.

The Knicks originally said on Dec. 11 that Robinson was set to undergo left ankle surgery and would be re-evaluated in eight-to-ten weeks. But Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting this week that the Knicks have now applied for a disabled player exception (DPE) with the expectation that Robinson will miss the rest of the season.

A season-ending foot fracture is horrendous news for Robinson. It also comes with further concern for the 25-year-old since he is a seven-footer who relies fairly heavily on his leaping ability.

Robinson is the Knicks’ best rebounder and rim protector so they face an uphill battle to stay afloat for the rest of the season without him. Isaiah Hartenstein will continue as the primary fill-in, and Jericho Sims will be relied upon as well (once he gets back from a one-to-two week absence with his own ankle injury). The Knicks also just added a frontcourt vet to help out and will likely target another big man with the DPE from Robinson’s injury.