New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson has been ruled out of Game 2 of the team's second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers due to left ankle injury management. The Knicks are up 1-0 in the series after a controversial win in Game 1 on Monday.
Robinson underwent surgery on the ankle in December, and was originally expected to miss the remainder of the season. He was able to return in late March, however, and assumed the back-up center role behind Isaiah Hartenstein, who made the position his own during Robinson's absence.
While Robinson had been somewhat inconsistent since coming back, his presence was a major boost for a Knicks team struggling with depth, particularly in the frontcourt.
Then, in Game 3 of the Knicks' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Robinson was on the receiving end of a number of questionable plays by Joel Embiid. He left the arena that night in a walking boot and did not play in Game 4 of that series. Robinson has played in every game since then, but was ineffective in his 12 minutes of action in Game 1 against the Pacers, and finished with two points, two rebounds and three fouls.
It's unclear if Robinson will miss any further time, but even one game is a problem for the Knicks, who simply don't have many options in the frontcourt with Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic both out for the season. Neither is a center, of course, but they would at least give head coach Tom Thibodeau some small-ball options.
Thibodeau will likely turn to Precious Achiuwa in Game 2. The fourth-year forward came over from the Toronto Raptors in the RJ Barrett-OG Anunoby deal, and was a solid contributor off the bench during the regular season. In the playoffs, however, he has only gotten a chance when Robinson has been hurt.
His most significant impact came in Game 4 against the Sixers, when he had some nice defensive moments in the team's dramatic victory to go up 3-1. The Knicks will need more from him on that end of the floor in Game 2 as they look to slow down a potent Pacers offense.
