Getty

Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks just endured a lengthy NBA year with a limited contribution from center Mitchell Robinson, with the regular-season plan clearly focused on one thing only: Making sure Robinson is healthy and contributing for the playoffs. The Knicks were careful in terms of when and how long they played the delicate rim-protecting center, with the goal being to save him for when things matter most.

Now that the NBA playoffs are upon us and the Knicks are locked into a battle with the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, it feels like this should be the time to let Robinson run wild. This is when things matter most. The Knicks were saving him for the playoffs and in the first two games Robinson was on the floor for … 33 minutes. Total, for both games.

It does seem self-defeating to curate Robinson’s minutes so carefully all year only to play him less in the postseason than the Knicks did in the regular season. And Mike Brown’s explanation for why he’s taking that approach is somewhat concerning for the Knicks going forward.

Knicks Not Willing to Play Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson Together

Talking to reporters before Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday, Brown said the Knicks are just not having much luck with the Robinson-Karl-Anthony Towns minutes, and so Brown is avoiding having both guys on the floor together. He said it was a matchup issue, but the fact is, if playing the team’s top two big guys together is a problem in the first round, it probably will be so for the entire playoffs.

“You want it higher but the only way it’s going to be higher is if you—two ways, if you play Mitch and KAT together, or if you play KAT less,” Brown said. “And the combination of the two of them right now hasn’t been great, and so I am choosing to not play them together right now during this series a lot because of the matchups. And stuff like that.

“At the end of the day, it’s a choice. I’d love Mitch to play 25 minutes and I’d love KAT to play 34, but they you’d have to deal with those other two things.”

‘Open to Everything and Anything’

That is worrisome. The Knicks need the offensive versatility of Towns. They need the defensive presence of Robinson. But if they have to split 48 minutes between the two, they’re not able to fully utilize the two.

Brown did say that, generally, the Knicks will continue to weigh changes to the rotation from game to game, and that could involve playing Robinson more. He has averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in his limited time on the floor. Towns has averaged  21.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two games, shooting 56.0% from the field.

Said Brown: “At this point in time, you’ve got to be open to anything and everything. As you guys know, it’s never a dictatorship with me. I am constantly thinking about it, as well as getting everybody else involved, my assistant coaches, giving the players some ownership.”