Knicks center Mitchell Robinson fully participated in Tuesday’s practice and is expected to be available for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday in San Antonio, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
While it remains unclear how exactly he sustained the injury, which didn’t occur didn’t a game or practice, Robinson fractured the fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand following the team’s Eastern Conference finals win over Cleveland and underwent surgery last week to repair the break.
Similar injuries typically require recovery periods of at least two weeks and sometimes much more than that, but Robinson has been repeatedly described as determined to suit up for the Knicks when the series gets underway. Videos from the practice court on Tuesday showed the big man shooting, passing, and dribbling the ball with his affected hand while wearing a protective wrap.
Robinson was listed on Tuesday as questionable to play in Game 1 and that designation has yet to be officially updated, but Charania’s reporting suggests he’s on track to be upgraded to available later in the day.
A member of the Knicks since 2018, Robinson is no longer the team’s starting center and averaged just 19.6 minutes per game during the regular season. However, he remains very valuable as a situation role player who can impact the game with his rebounding and rim protection, so it would be a boon to New York if he’s able to give the team some productive minutes against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
In 13 playoff appearances, Robinson has averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. Head coach Mike Brown has had to be extra careful about how he uses the 28-year-old to limit the extent to which opponents can exploit his poor free throw shooting. Robinson has made just 13-of-43 shots (30.2%) from the foul line during the postseason.