MEMPHIS — Mitchell Robinson’s long-awaited return was about as promising as the Knicks could’ve envisioned.
After roughly 10 months on the shelf, the longest-tenured Knick logged 12 minutes with six points and five boards in a thrilling 114-113 victory Friday night.
Robinson, who hadn’t played since undergoing ankle surgery in May, was called into action earlier than planned because of foul trouble to Karl-Anthony Towns.
He responded in the first shift with a driving dunk and a left-handed finish in the post.
“You saw that, huh? It was smooth,” Robinson said of his dunk. “I mean, that’s something we’ve been working on through the whole rehab process. I felt comfortable doing it.”
Robinson’s return coincided with the Knicks in desperate need for frontcourt and defensive help, with just one other natural center on the roster — Towns — and injuries starting to pile up as the season approaches the final quarter pole.
The expectation is that Robinson will operate under a minutes restriction in hopes of staying healthy and peaking for the playoffs.
He said the limit Friday night was 18, but he only managed 12, eating up a lot of the time designated lately for Precious Achiuwa, who only played four minutes against the Grizzlies.
Tom Thibodeau said he was impressed as the Knicks outscored the Grizzlies by 11 points with Robinson on the court.
“For the first game back, for the amount of time he’s been out, I thought it was really good,” the coach said. “We’ve been seeing it in practice, this was the next step, the pick-and-roll defense, the rim protection, the rebounding, he made a lot of good plays, just moving on penetration, pressure on the rim offensively, it opens up space for us. It’s really a game of space, so the more you can create space, the better your offense is going to be.”
Robinson has less than two months to develop chemistry with new teammates, regain his defensive rhythm and, perhaps most importantly given Robinson’s history, reach a conditioning level that will keep him on the court and promote health.
But it was a good start.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Robinson said. “But the urge to get back out there was there.”
Robinson, who has had feet and ankle problems and has undergone multiple surgeries, represents the Knicks’ top rim protector and offensive rebounder — two areas that have fallen off a cliff for the team this season.
His ability to play alongside Towns — much like Rudy Gobert did when he and Towns were Timberwolves teammates — could unlock a much higher defensive ceiling, attaching greater anticipation and expectations for his return.
The Knicks entered Friday ranked No. 21 in defense and No. 22 in offensive rebounds per game.
They were top four in offensive rebounds per game the past three seasons.
The front office also banked on Robinson’s big impact by standing pat at the trade deadline, believing Robinson was better than the frontcourt depth pieces on the market.
Robinson’s availability became more important after news Friday that rookie center Ariel Hukporti is out for the season with a torn meniscus.
“Definitely impact on the defensive end is big time for us,” Miles McBride said. “Having a paint presence like that is huge. I know he’s going to get the rebounding back. Tonight was tough. There was a lot of 50-50 balls he didn’t come up with. But I know once he gets back in rhythm, he’ll get those.”
There could be another benefit to Robinson’s return, according to Jalen Brunson, who called the center’s locker room presence “underrated.” Robinson, a self-described country boy from Louisiana, tends to lighten the mood with teasing.
The Knicks lost some of their locker room uniters from last season in Isaiah Hartenstein and Donte DiVincenzo.
“Doesn’t take everything serious off the court,” McBride said. “Once he gets on the court, he’s a whole different animal. So it’s good to have a guy in the locker room that’s a little bit more upbeat.”
Robinson hadn’t played since May, when he underwent a second surgery on his left ankle. The initial word was that the 26-year-old would likely return for training camp. He then missed nearly three-quarters of the season.
