Clint Capela, NY Knicks. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
NY Knicks: Mitchell Robinson could have challenged Clint Capela
Once again, I just want to acknowledge how hard Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson scrapped and clawed to slow Clint Capela down. You’re asking these guys to guard one of the most impactful rim-running centers in the NBA.
In terms of defense, we’ve seen Robinson bang down low with some of the best centers in the NBA. He’s going to make life so much tougher for Capela because he can actually match him physically.
Think about where Capela catches some of his easy lobs.
Taj Gibson can’t even physically reach that spot in the air. Robinson can with ease.
He would have been much more draining for Capela not just as a defender, but on offense as well.
Robinson is easily the best rebounder on the team – he was 5th in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game prior to getting hurt. This goes beyond the rebounding.
We saw how the Hawks shut down Julius Randle. Every time he got close to the paint, they shade Capela in his direction without paying the Knicks center any mind. Even if the Randle and other Knicks were able to execute that dump-off pass, what happens?
Nerlens Noel typically bobbles it and lets Capela or someone else recover.
When Taj gets the ball in space, it’s not an easy layup. It’s a dribble into a pump fake into a contested layup from the defender who was able to recover. Neither player have the quickness nor the burst to turn that pass into an easy bucket.
It can be infuriating to watch, but that’s just the limitations you get with running out Taj Gibson and Nerlens Noel all game, you can’t fault them.
It’s the exact pass that was always there for the Hawks. Capela is that same dangerous lob threat that Mitch is for the NY Knicks.
Even if that pass isn’t made, you have to guard it. It’s a big reason why Gibson and Noel were sinking into the paint on defense. They were defending the lob, not even able to muster a contest on Trae Young floaters.
With a lot of difficult roster decisions coming up, hopefully, the NY Knicks front office realized the impact Mitchell Robinson can have after getting just 1 win in 5 games. Remember, this isn’t just how good Mitchell Robinson is now, this is about how much better the 23-year-old can still be.
NY Knicks</a>‘ first-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks was a reality check.</p>
<p>There aren’t many NBA fans who saw New York as title contenders, so this isn’t quite a “crashing down to earth” reality check.</p>
<p>The reality is, the NY Knicks are a playoff team with a surplus of draft picks and cap space – something you don’t see very often. So while the long-term outlook is bright, what he just saw over these past few weeks: The patchwork, next-man-up lineups the team rolled out against the Hawks proved that this team is not yet ready to make noise in the playoffs.</p>
<p>The 5-game series loss shined a light on some areas that the Knicks must address with their future roster management, but it also cast a particularly harsh light on a void that could have been filled by someone already on the roster, Mitchell Robinson.</p>
<h2>The NY Knicks sorely missed Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs</h2>
<p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/05/26/ny-knicks-mitchell-robinson-tweet-adds-to-confusion-over-tonights-availability/">After numerous cryptic tweets</a> and <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/05/28/mitchell-robinson-injury-history-updates/">updated injury reports</a>, there was some hope that Robinson would be able to return, but that never happened.</p>
<p>It was easy to forget about Mitchell Robinson’s value because he hadn’t played in a few months. Not only that, but the Knicks were winning.</p>
<p>The idea that head coach Tom Thibodeau could essentially plug in any big man with a pulse at the center and the team would be fine began to have some credence because of the team’s record.</p>
<p>The playoffs hopefully shook those arguments away.</p>
<p>Let’s not deny the amazing job that Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson did with Robinson out of the lineup. If you’re looking at just the Knicks’ offensive flow, not too much is going to change with Taj or Noel in the lineup – Robinson isn’t ever handling the ball.</p>
<p>This is where we have to go beyond traditional box scores and dive deep into reviewing film, because the absence of Mitchell Robinson showed up just about everywhere.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> How Robinson would have impacted Trae Young </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_118925" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/16166642.jpeg">
pic.twitter.com/nUk42XDxDx
<p>— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1399051511036928006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 30, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>It starts with the perimeter defenders (Who couldn’t contain Young) but Neither Taj Gibson nor Nerlens did a good job of getting a hand up on Trae Young’s floaters. Rarely was there any sort of shot-contest, Trae Young looked like he was just running drills.</p>
<p>That’s where a disruptor like Robinson, who combines his 7’4 wingspan with excellent burst, can actually make life difficult for guards coming into the paint.</p>
<p>Nerlens Noel is a terrific shot-blocker at the rim. He’s not a good mid-range contester.</p>
<p>This isn’t to say that the equation would have been simple: Robinson plays, the Knicks win the series.</p>
<p>What Robinson would have done, was make life actually difficult for Young. He dealt with the Knicks perimeter pressure like it was nothing, and when he got near the elbow, there was nothing there waiting for him. Robinson actually has the length and lateral quickness to make those moments difficult.</p>
<p>Robinson’s void didn’t stop there.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Robinson vs. Capela </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_118926" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/16166638.jpeg">
I’ve been pounding the drum for a while now about how Robinsons’s year-by-year improvement</a>, positive development from an incredibly raw rookie, and growth into a really good player has, well, been right in front of us.</p>
<p>You’ll have to look beyond traditional box scores to see how good he has been. No, he doesn’t shoot 3s or make plays out of the post. That’s ok.</p>
<p>He’s a still-evolving young player, on a young team, that shattered their expectations this season.</p>
<p>Hopefully, the NY Knicks re-sign him, and he continues his growth into a great center in New York.</p>
<p>Otherwise, they’ll just be watching him blossom somewhere else.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Knicks monitoring Bradley Beal?" data-url="https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/bradley-beals-future-with-knicks/" data-call-to-action="Next"
> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/ny-knicks-loss-hawks-mitchell-robinson/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/03/bradley-beals-future-with-knicks/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Knicks monitoring Bradley Beal? </a> </div>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—>">