Immanuel Quickley must figure out what’s happening.
Quickley has always praised Mitchell Robinson’s defense. But for the first eight games of the season, Robinson has hit new strides for the New York Knicks. He’s not just blocking shots and defending fellow big men with gusto — taking that to another extreme Wednesday when he helped lock down a particularly large human, 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama.
Today, Robinson is doing more than ever. And at this moment, Quickley was stuck on all of those deflections. The Knicks center has dominated the paint, knocking errant passes to teammates and corralling more steals than ever.
“I ain’t seen this since I’ve been with him, but he’s been terrific,” Quickley said. “He’s gonna keep getting better.”
This is how the Knicks, who are 4-4 after Wednesday’s blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs, are talking about Robinson.
Quickley marvels over a guy whose defense he’s always admired but whose boundless arms are quite literally reaching for new ways to impact the game. Head coach Tom Thibodeau goes out of his way to mention Robinson during any news conference. While asleep, an overworked Thibodeau must be dreaming about Robinson’s plus-minus, one of the coach’s daily topics over the past month. Both Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, sitting on opposite sides of the locker room Wednesday evening and without any knowledge of the other’s quote, used identical lingo, dubbing themselves “proud” of their center.
Pride is contagious. And so is defensive intensity.
Robinson is more physical than ever down low, but he’s also beating guys up without fouling. He’s strong enough to man the paint and quick enough to scurry to another defender in need of help. Various teammates note that he’s in better shape than ever. It’s translating to the other side of the floor, too, where he’s averaging more than six offensive rebounds a game. No player has pulled off that feat over a full season since former New Jersey Nets player Jayson Williams in 1997-98.
Defensive discipline has ratcheted to another level. Never before has Robinson snuffed out pick-and-rolls like this or lived so constantly in a defensive stance — knees bent, arms out or up, a habit that could tie back to his improved conditioning. He guards two players at once as well as nearly anyone else in the world, using one never-ending arm to defend a dribbler penetrating the lane and the other to disrupt a rim-diving big man, his primary assignment.
“He has the ability to be up and get back. … He’s the anchor,” Thibodeau said. “He’s back there seeing everything. I think his understanding of the league now, what players like to do, (has) grown.”
Robinson has gone from an overzealous baby zebra when he first came into the league to a refined force now. Institutional knowledge has taken the sixth-year center to a new level.
And that brings us back to Quickley’s amazement: Robinson has always guarded well (though few can reach this level of dominance), but he’s never been so disruptive in passing lanes. He’s already snagged four steals in two separate games — one against the Atlanta Hawks and another against the LA Clippers.
The trend is about more than just wingspan or the enormous claws attached to his wrists. Robinson understands how to use his hands today in a way he didn’t years ago. A couple of four-steal games provide the perfect juxtaposition.
Against the Hawks, he knew lobs were more likely to come because that’s how Trae Young operates with his big men, so he kept his hands up higher in the hopes of deterring or disjointing the point guard’s connection with a high-flying teammate.
Against the Clippers, the Knicks knew James Harden loved to bounce pocket passes to his big men with a quick flick of the wrist. Watch Robinson or Hartenstein in that game, and you’d see their hands strategically down for many of the pick-and-rolls, hoping to take away Harden’s go-to.
It’s not just about hoping Harden or Young toss the basketball off a fingertip. It’s also about making the dribbler think. If his first option isn’t there, he’s more likely to make a mistake elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Knicks defense is following Robinson’s lead.
New York is second in the NBA in points allowed per possession. For the first time in the Thibodeau era, it isn’t just getting stops but it’s also forcing turnovers aplenty.
Thibodeau is hardly anti-takeaway. The Knicks forced loads of them this past postseason, an objective, especially during the Cleveland series. But he also doesn’t want his guys gambling for steals thus leaving the basket vulnerable.
The coach believes that takeaways should start with strong ball pressure, which comes from the guys up top — whether that’s Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo or someone else. The defenders on the back line then need to protect the paint. That’s Robinson’s job. If there’s one Knicks player in a dribbler’s face and another in his lane, that’s when an offense comes under duress.
Robinson’s length and discipline in passing lanes have changed New York’s defense. All of a sudden, it’s a unit with all of Thibodeau’s low-risk principles and a high turnover rate, forcing takeaways on 15 percent of its possessions so far this season, which is ninth in the NBA.
“The way he pressures the ball and anticipating things and seeing things ahead of time — I think that’s a big part of that. … Our activity has been very good and is sort of carrying us right now,” Thibodeau said.
It doesn’t seem to be stopping, either.
Few Knicks know Robinson the way Hartenstein does, even if the two have been teammates for only a year.
Because they exclusively substitute into games for each other, playing the role of paint protector when they do, they will turn stoppages into peer evaluations. If Robinson notices an aspect of the game Hartenstein can exploit, he mentions it to his fellow center. If Hartenstein sees Robinson doing something wrong, he will call his teammate out on it.
“Being with different teams, we always had a good bond. But I think (Mitch and I) have a different kind of bond,” Hartenstein said. “I think we’ve gotten to a good thing where we’re trying to feed off each other.”
Hartenstein has noticed changes in his buddy, too — and he points out the main one as anything but fundamental.
“What’s probably the biggest thing is, you see his mental this year — that’s probably what I see the most,” he said. “He’s consistently locked in.”
Hartenstein couldn’t say what spurred this change, nor could Quickley. Thibodeau insists Robinson has always had it in him. (Note: Robinson, always the biggest goofball in the room, negotiated his way out of interviewing for this story purely because he thought it would be fun to mess with me.)
But considering he’s the longest-tenured Knicks player because his time with the organization reaches back to a 17-win season to kick off the David Fizdale era, it’s easy to forget Robinson
Quickley has always praised Mitchell Robinson’s defense. But for the first eight games of the season, Robinson has hit new strides for the New York Knicks. He’s not just blocking shots and defending fellow big men with gusto — taking that to another extreme Wednesday when he helped lock down a particularly large human, 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama.
Today, Robinson is doing more than ever. And at this moment, Quickley was stuck on all of those deflections. The Knicks center has dominated the paint, knocking errant passes to teammates and corralling more steals than ever.
“I ain’t seen this since I’ve been with him, but he’s been terrific,” Quickley said. “He’s gonna keep getting better.”
This is how the Knicks, who are 4-4 after Wednesday’s blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs, are talking about Robinson.
Quickley marvels over a guy whose defense he’s always admired but whose boundless arms are quite literally reaching for new ways to impact the game. Head coach Tom Thibodeau goes out of his way to mention Robinson during any news conference. While asleep, an overworked Thibodeau must be dreaming about Robinson’s plus-minus, one of the coach’s daily topics over the past month. Both Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, sitting on opposite sides of the locker room Wednesday evening and without any knowledge of the other’s quote, used identical lingo, dubbing themselves “proud” of their center.
Pride is contagious. And so is defensive intensity.
Robinson is more physical than ever down low, but he’s also beating guys up without fouling. He’s strong enough to man the paint and quick enough to scurry to another defender in need of help. Various teammates note that he’s in better shape than ever. It’s translating to the other side of the floor, too, where he’s averaging more than six offensive rebounds a game. No player has pulled off that feat over a full season since former New Jersey Nets player Jayson Williams in 1997-98.
Defensive discipline has ratcheted to another level. Never before has Robinson snuffed out pick-and-rolls like this or lived so constantly in a defensive stance — knees bent, arms out or up, a habit that could tie back to his improved conditioning. He guards two players at once as well as nearly anyone else in the world, using one never-ending arm to defend a dribbler penetrating the lane and the other to disrupt a rim-diving big man, his primary assignment.
“He has the ability to be up and get back. … He’s the anchor,” Thibodeau said. “He’s back there seeing everything. I think his understanding of the league now, what players like to do, (has) grown.”
Robinson has gone from an overzealous baby zebra when he first came into the league to a refined force now. Institutional knowledge has taken the sixth-year center to a new level.
And that brings us back to Quickley’s amazement: Robinson has always guarded well (though few can reach this level of dominance), but he’s never been so disruptive in passing lanes. He’s already snagged four steals in two separate games — one against the Atlanta Hawks and another against the LA Clippers.
The trend is about more than just wingspan or the enormous claws attached to his wrists. Robinson understands how to use his hands today in a way he didn’t years ago. A couple of four-steal games provide the perfect juxtaposition.
Against the Hawks, he knew lobs were more likely to come because that’s how Trae Young operates with his big men, so he kept his hands up higher in the hopes of deterring or disjointing the point guard’s connection with a high-flying teammate.
Against the Clippers, the Knicks knew James Harden loved to bounce pocket passes to his big men with a quick flick of the wrist. Watch Robinson or Hartenstein in that game, and you’d see their hands strategically down for many of the pick-and-rolls, hoping to take away Harden’s go-to.
It’s not just about hoping Harden or Young toss the basketball off a fingertip. It’s also about making the dribbler think. If his first option isn’t there, he’s more likely to make a mistake elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Knicks defense is following Robinson’s lead.
New York is second in the NBA in points allowed per possession. For the first time in the Thibodeau era, it isn’t just getting stops but it’s also forcing turnovers aplenty.
Thibodeau is hardly anti-takeaway. The Knicks forced loads of them this past postseason, an objective, especially during the Cleveland series. But he also doesn’t want his guys gambling for steals thus leaving the basket vulnerable.
The coach believes that takeaways should start with strong ball pressure, which comes from the guys up top — whether that’s Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo or someone else. The defenders on the back line then need to protect the paint. That’s Robinson’s job. If there’s one Knicks player in a dribbler’s face and another in his lane, that’s when an offense comes under duress.
Robinson’s length and discipline in passing lanes have changed New York’s defense. All of a sudden, it’s a unit with all of Thibodeau’s low-risk principles and a high turnover rate, forcing takeaways on 15 percent of its possessions so far this season, which is ninth in the NBA.
“The way he pressures the ball and anticipating things and seeing things ahead of time — I think that’s a big part of that. … Our activity has been very good and is sort of carrying us right now,” Thibodeau said.
It doesn’t seem to be stopping, either.
Few Knicks know Robinson the way Hartenstein does, even if the two have been teammates for only a year.
Because they exclusively substitute into games for each other, playing the role of paint protector when they do, they will turn stoppages into peer evaluations. If Robinson notices an aspect of the game Hartenstein can exploit, he mentions it to his fellow center. If Hartenstein sees Robinson doing something wrong, he will call his teammate out on it.
“Being with different teams, we always had a good bond. But I think (Mitch and I) have a different kind of bond,” Hartenstein said. “I think we’ve gotten to a good thing where we’re trying to feed off each other.”
Hartenstein has noticed changes in his buddy, too — and he points out the main one as anything but fundamental.
“What’s probably the biggest thing is, you see his mental this year — that’s probably what I see the most,” he said. “He’s consistently locked in.”
Hartenstein couldn’t say what spurred this change, nor could Quickley. Thibodeau insists Robinson has always had it in him. (Note: Robinson, always the biggest goofball in the room, negotiated his way out of interviewing for this story purely because he thought it would be fun to mess with me.)
But considering he’s the longest-tenured Knicks player because his time with the organization reaches back to a 17-win season to kick off the David Fizdale era, it’s easy to forget Robinson
We’re so used to competence that we don’t even realize it anymore…
