How the Knicks are sacrificing now for later with Mitchell Robinson

DALLAS — Mitchell Robinson has one priority: being upright when the Knicks need him most.

And if that requires shortened stints, long waits, and an unconventional minutes plan in the meantime, so be it.

“It was [tough mentally] at first,” Robinson said after Wednesday’s shootaround before facing the Orlando Magic . “But after thinking about it a lot — obviously I don’t want to miss no playoffs or later on down in the future. So whatever’s best, we’re just gonna stick to it.”

Robinson entered training camp in September fully cleared after undergoing two left-ankle procedures that wiped out the first half of his 2024–25 season. Then the Knicks pulled him at halftime of their third preseason game and sidelined him three weeks under what they called left ankle load management.

Now he