Mitchell Robinson Struggles as Robinson Knicks Trail Spurs Through 3 Games
Mitchell Robinson has not posted a positive plus-minus through three games of the NBA Finals, and the robinson knicks have not gotten the backup center impact they expected against the Spurs. He has supplied only flashes in limited minutes, not the disruptive interior presence that was supposed to tilt possessions.
Robinson Against Victor Wembanyama
Game 1 brought two points and six rebounds in 13 minutes. Game 2 was worse in the margin column: minus-10 in 14 minutes, with three of his six free throws made and two baskets scored.
Across the first three games, Robinson has six offensive rebounds, one steal and one block. That is the statistical footprint of a reserve big who has not changed the game the way the Knicks hoped he would.
Knicks Frontcourt Pressure
The expectation before the Finals was bigger than ordinary bench work. Robinson had previously swung games and series with offensive rebounding and defense, and he had also had success slowing down Victor Wembanyama in the past.
This series has asked for more than that past work. The Knicks needed him to help cover minutes against one of the league’s best bigs, but the early returns have been thin enough that the Spurs have been able to keep the interior battle from turning in New York’s favor.
Spurs Possessions And Missed Chances
There were still moments in the latest game when Robinson got near the play. In the third quarter, he accepted being screened by Keldon Johnson on a delayed transition sequence, and he was also right there on a failed lob when Wembanyama could not finish the alley-oop and came down with it.
Those plays fit the larger pattern. Robinson has been around the action, but he has not consistently finished possessions at either end, and that is why his minus numbers through three games stand out so sharply.
The Knicks are still the favorites, which leaves Robinson’s next stretch even more important. If his impact grows, New York gets the rim protection and second-chance force it expected; if not, the Spurs keep getting the kind of quiet frontcourt control that has already shown up in the numbers.
