DENVER — Out for over three months following ankle surgery, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson returned to full practice Wednesday and is ramping up to play in games, Tom Thibodeau said.
It was an encouraging update after 47 missed games and a long stretch of uncertainty surrounding Robinson’s injury — which included concerns he’d miss the season — and Thibodeau called Wednesday “a good day” for the 25-year-old.
It was the first time Robinson was cleared for contact.
“It wasn’t an extended (practice) obviously. But he did shooting. He did offense, defense, script,” Thibodeau said.
Mitchell Robinson returned to Knicks practice on Wednesday in Denver. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post Asked if there’s a timeline for his return to games, Thibodeau said, “He’s got to go through contact for a while. So then he’s got to get cleared by the doctor.”
Although Thibodeau wouldn’t commit to a rotation when Robinson comes off the bench, the coach indicated he’d come off the bench when he does come back, likely leaving Isaiah Hartenstein as the starter.
Regardless, Thibodeau said he’d like to stagger the center’s minutes with different starters. Hartenstein has been navigating a sore Achilles and is under a minutes restriction.
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“With Isaiah’s minutes restriction works that way. He’s going to play with both units,” Thibodeau said of Robinson. “Again, once you get to the fourth quarter, you’re looking at, what do we need to win the game? That’s where we make our decisions.”
Twenty-one games into the season, Robinson was diagnosed with a stress fracture to his left ankle, the Knicks said, and underwent surgery in early December.
Before the injury, Robinson was among the top rebounders in the NBA and was building a case for an All-Defense selection. The Knicks then applied for a Disabled Players Exception, which is only used when a player suffers a season-ending injury.
The NBA rejected New York’s application and Robinson began the long process to return to the court. Two seasons ago, Robinson returned from right foot surgery and said conditioning was an issue, partly because he bulked up with weight training.
Mitchell Robinson may come off the Knicks’ bench when he returns. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post For this rehab, Thibodeau said Robinson watched his weight.
“You’re always concerned when you can’t do a lot of cardio. He did all he could,” Thibodeau said. “He was in the pool all the time. You’re always concerned about a big gaining of weight because of the lack of cardio. But he did a good job of monitoring his weight. So that’s a big plus. And now once he’s cleared, just keep building. We’ll keep adding each day and see how he feels the next day. You never know until tomorrow — how he feels. So that’s a big part of this.”
Robinson is averaging 6.2 points and 10.3 rebounds this season. He was leading the NBA in offensive boards before the injury. Hartenstein is also a bruiser in the middle but brings a different dynamic as a playmaker.
“Well, there’s obviously going to be a lot of mixing and matching,” Thibodeau said. “So it’s not like it’s going to be all bench guys with no starters. There’s usually going to be two starters out there. I think both guys — we did it quite a bit last year, mixing and matching, one guy would finish one game. The next time it would be somebody else, depending on what we needed. We know all the things that Mitch adds to the team. It’ll be great to get him back. We’re obviously very pleased with what Isaiah has brought. You throw in Precious [Achiuwa] and Jericho [Sims] has done a good job. We like the depth that we have at that position. That’s been a big plus for us.”
