Mitchell Robinson

Josh Hart Suggested Knicks’ Starting Lineup Change

May 26th, 2025 at 7:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau shook up his starting lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, with Mitchell Robinson replacing Josh Hart. After New York staged a thrilling comeback to pick up its first win of the series, Hart revealed that not only is he OK with the change, it was actually his idea, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post (subscription required).

Hart told reporters that he made the suggestion during a meeting with Thibodeau after watching how well Robinson performed in Game 2.

“It was never going to be a tough day for me because I had a hand in that decision,” Hart said. “When I’m in a decision like that and kind of got the ball rolling on that, it was funny, y’all are scrambling, trying to get answers and I never really cared. Because it was kind of my decision. I was comfortable with it.”

Even though Hart came off the bench, he remained in his regular role for most of the night. He logged 34 minutes while contributing eight points and 10 rebounds, several of which came late in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory.

Robinson had six points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 29 minutes and enabled the Knicks to avoid the slow starts they experienced in Games 1 and 2. The score was tied at 24-24 when he checked out for the first time with 1:10 left in the first quarter.

“It really didn’t impact either guy from a minutes standpoint. So to me, when Mitch was coming off the bench, he’s a starter coming off the bench. When Josh comes off the bench, he’s a starter coming off the bench,” Thibodeau said. “Their minutes are gonna be the same. And both guys mix and match. Both guys are comfortable with both units. The thing that I love about Josh is the unselfishness.”

Another benefit of the change was more time at power forward for Karl-Anthony Towns, who led the rally by scoring 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Hart added that the seeds of Sunday’s move go back to the second-round series against the Celtics.

“This was a conversation that we had, that I’ve had before,” he said. “Actually I mentioned, I talked to a couple of people about it before Game 6 [against Boston], I was struggling with the matchup of Luke Kornet, and wasn’t able to really figure that out. Game 6 I had a pretty good game. But it was something that I’ve had in the back of my mind and I’ve always been willing to do. Down two [games], especially with how Mitch played last game, that was something that we had to do.”

Knicks Make Lineup Change; Robinson In, Hart Out

May 25th, 2025 at 6:38pm CST by Rory Maher

6:38pm: It’s official. Robinson will start and Hart will come off the bench tonight, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.

11:57am: The Knicks are “leaning toward” inserting center Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup for Sunday’s Game 3 in Indiana, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Robinson would replace wing Josh Hart in the starting five.

ESPN’s Shams Charania confirms the Knicks are giving “serious consideration” to the idea of benching Hart in favor of Robinson ahead of the pivotal game (story via Chris Herring of ESPN.com). New York lost both games at home to open the Eastern Conference Finals and finds itself in a 0-2 hole ahead of Sunday’s contest.

As Herring observes, the Knicks have gone with their usual starting group of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns for the entire season and playoffs when they’ve all been healthy, so this could mark the team’s first major lineup change of 2024/25.

Despite playing the most minutes of any five-man group this postseason and advancing past Detroit and Boston, the starters have struggled during their time together on the court and have had much more success when Robinson and/or Miles McBride are mixed in.

Replacing Hart with Robinson would slide Towns, who has struggled defensively against the Pacers, from center to power forward, Begley writes. Reserve big man Precious Achiuwa is a candidate to receive more playing time if Robinson moves into the starting lineup for Game 3, Begley adds. An impending free agent who appeared in 57 regular season games (20.5 minutes per contest), Achiuwa has barely seen any action in the playoffs, averaging just 4.8 MPG while appearing in five of the team’s 14 postseason games.

When asked about the potential lineup change, Hart said he believes he’s a starter and had a great year, but he also has no issue if head coach Tom Thibodeau decides to bring him off the bench (Twitter video link via Knicks Videos).

“I can’t sit here and preach about sacrifice and getting out of our own personal agendas and all that and then, a decision like that is made, then be mad at it and not want to sacrifice and not want to do that,” Hart said. “That’s not the kind of person that I am.”

Hart added that the Knicks need to improve in multiple areas to claw their way back into the series, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.

“Yeah, I think we need something drastic in terms of our energy and effort, our competitiveness,” Hart said.

After averaging 13.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.8 BPG in helping New York reach the ECF (12 games; 37.1 MPG), Hart has averaged 7.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.5 BPG through two games against Indiana (36.5 MPG). The Knicks have been outscored by 14 points during his time on the court in the series, whereas Robinson is plus-six in 50 minutes.

Knicks Notes: Potential Lineup Change, Robinson, McBride, Road Record, Bridges

May 24th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Facing a desperate situation after losing the first two games at home, the Knicks may consider lineup changes when the Eastern Conference Finals resume Sunday night, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). Karl-Anthony Towns played just 28 minutes in Game 2 as the Pacers exposed his defensive deficiencies and backup center Mitchell Robinson delivered a strong performance. Bondy notes that Towns is too valuable to stay on the bench, so coach Tom Thibodeau will have to find a better option.

Bondy proposes two potential alterations to the starting lineup, one of which would replace Josh Hart with Robinson. That provides a twin towers approach just like Minnesota used when it made the conference finals last season with Towns alongside Rudy Gobert. New York would have its best rim protector and pick-and-roll defender on the court at the start of the game, and it provides a better opportunity to take Robinson out late in quarters before Indiana can start fouling him on purpose.

Bondy’s other suggestion is to replace Hart with Miles McBride, who has the team’s best net rating in the series at plus-20.6. Although it would create a small backcourt, McBride is an accomplished defender who can provide help when the Pacers attack Jalen Brunson.

There’s more on the Knicks:

The team is taking solace in its strong road record as the series shifts to Indiana, according to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. New York is 5-1 on the road in the playoffs, with three wins at Detroit and two at Boston, and was 24-17 during the regular season away from Madison Square Garden. “The whole year we played well on the road,” Hart said after Game 2. “We’ve played well on the road in the playoffs. That’s a tough place to play. Their crowd comes and shows love and support. But we’re a good road team. That always gives us confidence.”
Knicks players understand that the 0-2 deficit gives them a chance to do something historic, adds Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Only five NBA teams have ever advanced after losing the first two games of a series at home, and no one has done it in the conference finals.
Mikal Bridges believes better communication might solve the problems the starting five has been experiencing, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “I think we just have to talk to each other off the jump,” he said. “I think maybe we just play a little too soft in the beginning.”

Knicks Notes: Starters, Towns, Robinson, Hart

May 24th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Earnest Marshall

The Knicks fell into an 0-2 deficit at home against the Pacers and now face an uphill battle to make the NBA Finals. In the view of James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, the main reason for New York’s struggles is the fact the starting lineup is a minus-29 through two games and isn’t meshing well overall.

This isn’t a new issue, as the starters were outscored by 21 points in their first two playoff series combined and were a net negative between Jan. 1 and the end of the regular season. The individual talent level of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns is significant, but it isn’t working on the court, Edwards writes.

“Obviously, we can finger-point and say this is wrong, that’s wrong,” Brunson said. “It’s this person’s fault, that person’s fault. But collectively, we have to get it together. That’s really it.”

Given the time crunch the Knicks are facing, making a starting lineup change sooner rather than later could be in the club’s best interest. New York has played its best when three or four starters are playing alongside one or both of Miles McBride or Mitchell Robinson.

We have more from the Knicks:

The Knicks ended up sitting Towns for a near-seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, with Robinson taking his place during that time. Robinson finished the game as a +6 in 29 minutes while Towns was a -20 in 28 minutes. “Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” coach Tom Thibodeau said about the decision to sit Towns for that stretch, per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “So we were just riding [that lineup]. We’re searching for a win.“
Hart lobbied for Robinson to play more in Game 3 and beyond, per the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. “We have to figure out ways — I think he played [29] minutes — figure out ways if he can play more,” Hart said. “We’re great with him on [the floor]. We all got to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.” Robinson has totaled 17 rebounds and four blocks in the first two games of the series.
Hart and Anunoby were among the Knicks’ worst performers in Game 2, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines in a subscriber-only story. Bondy said neither player had a particularly strong impact offensively or defensively, outside of a couple three-pointers from Anunoby. Hart spoke about his outing after the game. “Yeah, it was tough to find ways to [be me], ways to help the team,” he said, per the New York Post’s Peter Botte. “Obviously, that quick foul trouble kind of puts you in a position to not being as aggressive. So that was a tough one. Just one of those games. Shots will be there some games, some they won’t.”

Knicks Notes: Towns, Starting Five, Robinson, Achiuwa

May 16th, 2025 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After averaging 24.4 points and 16.9 field goal tries per game during the regular season, Karl-Anthony Towns has attempted 17 or more shots in just three of 11 playoff outings so far this spring and has been held below 24 points in all five games in the Knicks‘ second-round series vs. Boston.

Towns was limited to 5-of-11 shooting from the field in New York’s Game 5 loss, with many of his 19 points coming in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, prompting Stefan Bondy of The New York Post and Ian Begley of SNY.tv to write that the Knicks need to find a way to unlock Towns and get him more involved in the offensive game plan.

Towns shot 42.0% on 4.7 three-point attempts per game during the regular season but has gone just 2-of-13 in five games against Boston. He suggested after Game 5 that the decline in his shots from beyond the arc has been by design, per Begley.

“I haven’t really been out there really. Haven’t had the chance to shoot. We’ve just been trying to do our game plan and I’m just trying to execute at the highest level,” Towns said. “So I’m trying to do most of my damage inside and do whatever my team asks of me.”

As Begley points out, Towns made just one outside shot in his first two games against Detroit in the conference quarterfinals before knocking down nine and scoring 58 total points in Games 3 and 4, so there’s a recent precedent for him bouncing back and coming up big when the Knicks need him most.

Here’s more on the Knicks ahead of Friday’s Game 6:

Despite being built around a strong starting five, the Knicks haven’t been as dominant with Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart on the court as hoped. That lineup had just a +1.9 net rating in 330 minutes from Christmas Day through the end of the regular season and has posted a -7.3 mark in the playoffs, including -16.3 in the second round. With that in mind, Fred Katz of The Athletic considers whether or not a starting lineup tweak makes sense.
The Knicks acquired Bridges and Anunoby for situations like this one, according to Chris Herring of ESPN, who looks at the impact the two standout wings have made in New York and explores how they could make a difference in Game 6.
Mitchell Robinson‘s 6-of-6 performance from the free throw line was a silver lining for the Knicks in Game 5 and could make him an even more valuable weapon if he can keep it up, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Despite the fact that New York leads the series 3-2, Robinson’s is the only Knick who has a positive net rating (+10.6) vs. Boston.
The Knicks have listed big man Precious Achiuwa as questionable for Friday’s game due to a right ankle sprain. Achiwua’s status doesn’t figure to have any impact on Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation, since he has only played 15 total minutes in the series.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Anunoby, Hart, Tucker, Robinson

May 14th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

A Game 4 victory over Boston on Monday brought the Knicks to within one win of their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years. While Jalen Brunson was happy with that victory, he made a point of calming down some of his celebrating teammates at the end of the game, according to Chris Herring of ESPN.

“I was actually telling everyone to get off the court. I was like, it’s nothing to celebrate,” Brunson said.

The Knicks are well positioned to finish off the Celtics, who will be without star forward Jayson Tatum for the rest of the series after he tore his Achilles in Game 4. But Brunson recognizes that the defending champions won’t go down easily and wants his team to remember that there’s work to be done. He told reporters after Monday’s victory that the team did a good job of playing with urgency while holding a 2-1 series lead.

“I think (there) was a sense of urgency, desperation. Knowing that we had a great opportunity against a really good team,” Brunson said. “I don’t even think we’re playing our best basketball yet. We have a team that’s still fairly new this year, and we have a long way to go be the best team we can be. There’s always time to learn for us. We’re never satisfied, and that’s the mentality.”

Here’s more on the Knicks ahead of Wednesday’s Game 5:

OG Anunoby had an injury scare at the end of the first quarter of Game 4, holding his hamstring while leaving the court, but returned to action and was a difference-maker for the Knicks, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. After making just 3-of-15 shots from the field in Games 2 and 3, Anunoby had 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting on Monday in what head coach Tom Thibodeau described as a “huge” performance. “Just the toughness, the timely plays, flying all over the place,” Thibodeau said. “… He’s so disruptive.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart was amused to receive a trophy from the NBA for being this season’s “minutes champion,” as ESPN relays (via Twitter). No qualified player averaged more minutes per game in 2024/25 than Hart’s 37.6. “Guess I got my cardio in this year,” he wrote in an Instagram story that included several crying-laughing emojis.
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker hasn’t played a single minute for the Knicks in the postseason after appearing in just three regular season games, but he’s still making an impact, earning a shout-out from Hart after Game 4 for his “champion” mentality, as Jared Schwartz of The New York Post relays. “The way he talks, the way he leads,” Brunson added. “Obviously, he’s been around the league a long time and he has a lot of experience and so when he talks, we listen. So, having a guy like that on our team has been remarkable for us. He’s been fantastic since he’s been there.”
Fred Katz of The Athletic explores the outsized impact that center Mitchell Robinson is having on the boards in a fairly limited role this series.

Knicks Notes: Stagnant Offense, Robinson, Starting Five

May 12th, 2025 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks know they have to create more havoc on defense to energize their offense, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Their halfcourt offense has frequently bogged down, although they’ve managed to take a 2-1 lead in the series against the Celtics. Game 4 will be held tonight.

“When you’re not causing turnovers and you’re getting the ball under the rim, taking it out every possession, it’s tough to have that speed,” forward Josh Hart said. “So we have to try to cause more turnovers, play better defense and finish possessions with rebounds and run, and even when we do take the ball out, have pace to our offense and not just be standing around being so stagnant.”

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau had a similar viewpoint.

“I think for anybody, live-ball turnovers that put you into the open floor, get you easy baskets,” he said. “So that’s a big part of the game, and that’s the fight. I think it’s the challenge for each team to try to create as many as you can, because you know what it does for your offense. It fuels your offense.”

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Fans exasperated by Mitchell Robinson‘s free throw shooting futility got a response from the Knicks center and it’s probably not what they want to hear. Robinson posted on his Instagram Live account (hat tip to Erich Richter of the New York Post) on Sunday that he’s not interested in the fans’ opinions. “So, I know y’all commenting and doing all the stupid stuff, thinking that I really care,” he said. “I really don’t. Y’all know what I care about: this (pointing to his truck), playing basketball, and my daughter. All the other stuff, I really don’t care for. … Y’all should know me by now. Been here seven years. … Anyway, Happy Mother’s Day. Y’all enjoy yourselves.” Robinson is shooting just 28.9 percent from the free throw line during the playoffs, leading opponents to intentionally foul him during certain stretches of games.
The Knicks have won two games despite their starting five — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns — being outscored by 29 points through the first three games, Schwartz said. “I think a big part of that is how we’re starting games and starting the second half,” Hart said. “We haven’t done a good job imposing our will into the game from the jump. That’s something that we struggled with in Detroit also, coming out of the half. There were times we had a 10-, 12-point lead and then we surrendered it in the first three, four minutes of the half. That unit, we have to come out with more sense of urgency, more desperation, more competitiveness and let everything else fall into place.”
Thibodeau played it coy during his pregame press conference on Monday regarding a lineup change. When asked if he might insert Robinson, the coach replied, “There’s a lot of thoughts you put into it,” James Edwards of The Athletic tweets. Asked if he would stick with his usual starting five, the coach said, “We could be.”

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Brunson, Anunoby, Hart

May 11th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are taking advantage of Mitchell Robinson‘s weakness as a free throw shooter and creating a difficult decision for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). Boston coach Joe Mazzulla employed the “Hack-a-Mitch” strategy repeatedly in Game 3, sending the backup center to the line 12 times. He only made four of those attempts, and Bondy observes that the misses included an air ball and several line drives that had no chance of going in.

“It’s a tough position to be in, especially mentally, but you have to encourage,” Jalen Brunson said. “We’re going to have each other’s backs, regardless.”

Robinson is 11-of-38 from the line (29%) since the playoffs began, which makes it hard to keep him on the court. Bondy notes that he’s the team’s best rebounder and rim protector, and he’s able to switch onto Boston’s star wings on pick-and-rolls. He had six offensive rebounds on Saturday, but he only played 19 minutes because his inefficiency at the line resulted in too many empty possessions.

“If he’s making them, he stays,” Thibodeau said. “If he’s not, you have to get him out. Is his impact on the game more beneficial to leave him in? There are a lot of factors that go into that.”

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Brunson is one of the NBA’s best clutch performers, but he hasn’t been delivering enough early offense in this series as the Knicks have faced big deficits in all three games, observes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Brunson is shooting just 36.5% from the field through the first three quarters, but he doesn’t plan to change his approach. “Continue to shoot my shot, do the things I work on, continue to stay confident, that’s the biggest thing,” he said after Saturday’s loss. “Just trust what I do. That’s basically it right there.”
The Knicks will need more offense from OG Anunoby to survive the series, states Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Anunoby was limited to 1-of-6 from the field in Game 3, with his only basket coming on a third quarter dunk. Schwartz points out that New York is 8-0 in playoff games when Anunoby takes at least 14 shots, but just 5-9 when he doesn’t.
The Celtics were able to torch the Knicks from three-point range after being held in check the first two games, and Josh Hart believes his team wasn’t aggressive enough in challenging Boston’s shooters, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “It was not what it should have been,” Hart said. “It should have been more physical, more aggressive. We let them get into a rhythm early and feeling good early. That’s something that we can’t do. We made the mistake on that and, like I said, we have to learn from it.”

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Robinson, Brunson, Towns, More

May 8th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Mikal Bridges came away with the game-sealing steal against the Celtics on Wednesday. And in Game 1 on Monday, his late three-pointer helped the Knicks secure victory in overtime. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes that while Bridges’ tenure in New York started off on the wrong foot, no one is thinking about the draft picks the Knicks gave up to acquire the defensive-minded wing with the Celtics on the ropes.

“Get your damn apology forms out,” teammate Josh Hart said. “I’ll be collecting them next game.”

As Edwards writes, Bridges’ performance reflects his ability to overcome adversity.

“Going back to our days in college, the way we practiced and prepared for games, it was more mental than anything,” Bridges’ Villanova and Knicks teammate Jalen Brunson said. “Then, when you get to the game situations, you’ve practiced it and been prepared for it. When you do that at a young age and have that in your repertoire going into a professional career, you have that in your back pocket. He has the ability to block out the noise.”

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Mitchell Robinson proved to be a major force for the Knicks in their Game 2 win, Zach Braziller of the New York Post observes. The Knicks outscored the Celtics by 19 points with Robinson on the court and he recorded six points, eight rebounds and three steals in the win.
Brunson opened Game 2 on a rough note, shooting just 23.1% from the field through three quarters. However, in crunch time, the 2024/25 Clutch Player of the Year showed up, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. He wound up scoring nine points in the fourth quarter to help lift New York over Boston. “That’s Jalen,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the game, he’s going to be at his best when his best is needed.”
Add Karl-Anthony Towns and Hart to the list of players who stood out when their numbers were called, Schwartz and the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy write in separate stories. “KAT, the way he started off the game was great for us,” Brunson said. “The way he’s been throughout the entire season, he’s been one of the best teammates we have. The way he gives us energy and the way he goes and gets rebounds and what he does, it doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s just the way he’s been.“

Knicks Notes: Defense, Hart, Boston, Robinson

May 7th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau made a major defensive adjustment during the first game of New York’s ongoing series against the Celtics, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscriber link).

The Knicks opted to frequently switch on pick-and-rolls, a shift from their regular season approach to those coverages. It threw the reigning champs out of rhythm, as Braziller observes, and has the Celtics back on their heels as they look for their first home win of the series.

New York survived Game 1, in Boston, with a 108-105 upset in overtime.

The pick-and-roll change has led to All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns being consistently switched onto ball-handlers, write Fred Katz and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The club’s stated plan with this approach was to combat the Celtics’ outside shooting.

“(When) switching, (you’re) trying to take away some of their threes: catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop threes,” guard Josh Hart said. “(We are) making sure when we do switch that the guy is not on an island. He has two, three (teammates) behind him ready to help, ready to step up, and just make it difficult for them.”

It worked: Boston, the most prolific three-point shooting team of the regular season, shot just 15-for-60 from long range.

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Hart was a major X-factor for the Knicks during that surprise Game 1 road win, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The veteran forward helped New York erase a 20-point early deficit by keying a critical 31-11 second quarter run. “I think for me it’s always how can I find a way to spark this team,” Hart said. “Whether that’s knocking down a shot, making a defensive play, a rebound, you know, pushing in transition, getting an offensive rebound for an extra shot… That’s just kind of what I’m trying to find throughout the game, especially when you go down by double digits, you go down by 20. You’re just trying to find something to spark that team.” The 6’4″ swingman notched a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, while also recording three assists and two steals, in 45 minutes of action.
In Game 1, Boston frequently took to fouling Knicks center Mitchell Robinson in an effort to stop plays and reclaim the ball, figuring his career 52.2% free throw shooting was worth the risk. He went just 3-of-10 from the line in Game 1. According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, it represents the opposition’s respect for how dangerous Robinson can be when he’s not a foul-shooting liability. Robinson’s post defense and per-minute rebounding make him a lethal contributor for New York. “I think he was a plus-13 when on the floor,” Thibodeau said of Robinson. “The reason they’re doing it is to try and get him off the floor. He gives us the ability to switch more but also rim protect and rebound. If they’re not in the penalty, then we can lean on him and go from there.”
In case you missed it, Knicks wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges helped justify the price the Knicks paid to re-sign and acquire them, respectively, with huge defensive nights in Game 1.

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