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UPDATE: Jan. 13, 1:30 p.m. — Robinson will undergo surgery on his fractured hand and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday afternoon.
ESPN Sources: Knicks center Mitchell Robinson will undergo surgery on his fractured right hand and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Robinson suffered a fracture of the fourth metacarpal on the hand on Friday night vs. Washington.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2021
New York Knicks C Mitchell Robinson suffered a fractured right hand during Friday’s game vs. the Washington Wizards. Robinson sustained the injury in the second half and was unable to return. The Knicks shortly after announced that Robinson has a fracture and will likely be out an extended period of time. The team also says Robinson will be evaluated again on Saturday, so we’ll get a better idea of how much time he’ll miss.
X-rays revealed that Mitchell Robinson fractured his right hand. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow in New York.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 13, 2021
So with Robinson down, the Knicks will need a new starting center. That job will likely go to Nerlens Noel, who should pick up more minutes down the stretch against the Wizards in the fourth. We’re already seeing veteran Taj Gibson get some playing time vs. Washington as well. Coach Tom Thibodeau could lean on the two veterans to fill the void left by Robinson (depending on the timeline).
While it’s unfortunate Robinson is hurt, if you have him in fantasy basketball he left you a parting gift of 10 points and 14 rebounds in 20 minutes before leaving. If you need a replacement, Noel is your guy. Noel averages over 10 rebounds per 36 minutes this season, so if that is the type of playing time he’ll get, your fantasy team won’t be that worse off. Gibson isn’t a viable option in season-long until we know what type of minutes he’ll get. If anything, this could force Thibs to play rookie F Obi Toppin more.
If you had any Robinson Defensive Player of the Year futures, this could be the death blow to those hopes. Mitch entered Friday night a long shot anyway at 150/1 to win DPOTY on DraftKings Sportsbook.