Mitchell Robinson, from the air up there
I’ve written about a few rookies already and how they’ve lived up to their draft hype, but I should talk about a second-round steal who’s a dark horse to the Rookie of the Year/Luka Doncic runner-up award: Mitchell Robinson. Taken by the Knicks early in the second round, he was actually a higher-level recruit back in high school but was deemed ineligible to play in the NCAA because he enrolled at Western Kentucky and left early in the summer before the fall program started. Thus, he ended up not playing in any organized league for an entire year — it was a tough situation to judge and slipped in the draft.

After setting records in the summer league for blocks and offensive boards, we should have all been prepared for a solid rookie season, however. He’s leading the league in blocks per possession, and he’s hitting a high percentage of his shots. He’s the prototypical high-flying, rim-running big man in the mold of Tyson Chandler. But he does have a few unique qualities.

First of all, Robinson is an inevitable dunk contest entrant. He can get up as high as anyone, and he’s a nimble runner who can pick up speed quickly and has dunked from just inside the free-throw line with one dribble from half-court. But he’s an extremely low usage player who can only score close to the rim. His offensive rebounding is merely okay for someone of his type, and he can’t hit his free throws either. However, his vertical threat — lobs can be thrown over a defender’s head — does put stress on the defense.

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NBA TV
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The reverse alley-oop from the rook! 😲@23savage____ | #NewYorkForever

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Just how high above the rim does @23savage____ get on his huge dunks? We busted out the #Knicks (measuring) tape.

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6:48 PM - Oct 31, 2018
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On the other side of the court, Robinson is an impressive shot-blocker. That’s the obvious part; dude blocked nine shots earlier this season, and that included poor defenders away from the rim too. And look at the clip below. It’s not the amount of blocks that’s necessarily impressive but the amount of ground he can cover. For the negatives, he has a high foul rate, which is common for both rookies and defenders of his ilk. He has a tiny defensive rebound rate too. That’s mainly caused by his tendency to chase shots and playing next to rebound gobblers in Enes Kanter and Noah Vonleh. Remember that not grabbing a rebound doesn’t always translate to poor team rebounding — and so far the Knicks have been a little better with him on the court.

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Kevin O'Connor
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@KevinOConnorNBA
This block by Mitchell Robinson is nuts. Look at the amount of ground he covers after defending the pick-and-roll.

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Overall, Mitchell Robinson is a player of extremes but he’s the type of role player who could become very valuable for a contender. He’s a dangerous finishing option off a pick-and-roll or a loose board, and his speed and vertical leaping ability combine for a tremendous defensive potential. For someone who never played in college or a professional league for a season, his progress has been amazing and it will be fascinating to see how he could fit in with a future Knicks squad with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis.