The Knicks’ defense, already among the league’s top 10, will be much more intimidating once Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby are healthy and back on the court.
Part of that is getting closer — Robinson has been upgraded to questionable for the Knicks’ game against the Raptors on Wednesday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports he will play.
Robinson last played on Dec. 8, when he injured his ankle against the Celtics, which led to surgery that was expected to sideline him for the rest of the season. His return after missing 50 games is a huge plus for New York as it gears up for the playoffs.
Robinson is one of the game’s better defensive big men and anchored the Knicks on that end. He also was critical on the offensive end — he’s averaging 5.3 offensive rebounds a game this season. For the season he averaged 6.2 points and 10.3 rebounds a game, shooting 59.2%. Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up with maybe his best season as a pro in Mitchell’s abs. The return of the starter gives New York a strong 1-2 punch at the five.
Anunoby is out against Toronto, still dealing with an elbow issue despite surgery to fix it (he returned for a few games only to go out again). There is no official timeline for a return.
