The New York Knicks are in the midst of preparations for the NBA Finals, but the injury bug has struck them at an inopportune time. Now, the Knicks will be heading into the championship series with one huge omission on their roster.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Mitchell Robinson has sustained a fracture in his right pinky finger. Charania added that there is “no timetable” for Mitchell’s return to action.
According to another report by James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic, Mitchell Robinson had broken his finger “earlier this week,” though it’s “unclear” how exactly the Knicks center suffered this injury.
Robinson’s absence has major implications for the Knicks’ rotation in the Finals. This season, the 7-foot big man has thrived in his role off the bench, earning votes in the race for Sixth Man of the Year. In the minutes that Karl-Anthony Towns takes a breather, Robinson has more than held his own in the shaded lane, particularly on the defensive end.
No matter who emerges from the Western Conference Finals, the Knicks will need all the frontcourt muscle that they can get. The OKC Thunder have the twin tower combination of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, while the San Antonio Spurs are bannered by MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama.
“Literally Watched Him Report This”: Reporter Tweets Clip of Shams Charania Breaking News of Mitchell Robinson’s Injury
Notably, one OKC Thunder beat reporter claims to have seen the exact moment when Charania tweeted the news of Mitchell Robinson’s injury.
Prior to Game 6 of the Thunder-Spurs series, Addam Francisco posted a clip of Charania typing on his phone inside Frost Bank Center. Francisco believes that this was Charania reporting Robinson’s injury on X.
This might not be the last time that Charania will break mind-blowing news as the NBA Finals draw near.
