Here’s a deep dive on what Robinson has been bringing to the table in his third NBA season …

What Robinson does well

Thibodeau’s teams are always going to be defense-first, and that approach has really caught on with this Knicks roster, at least in the early going of the head coach’s tenure. The Knicks have been playing with a noticeably different intensity under Thibodeau, and it all starts on the defensive end, which has been anchored brilliantly by Robinson.

Though there was some question in the preseason about whether Robinson would start or come off the bench behind Nerlens Noel, the third-year pro Robinson won the starting job and has ran with it. His scoring average, field goal percentage, and block numbers are actually slightly down from 2019-20, when he came off the bench for David Fizdale and Mike Miller, but Robinson just looks more in control of his game this season.

Robinson’s rim protection has been outstanding this season. He’s blocking 1.7 shots per game, and while that may actually be the lowest season average of his young career, consider that he’s also been doing a much better job at limiting his foul numbers, something that has plagued him as a pro. So Robinson is still blocking shots and forcing countless other contested shots at the rim, all while not fouling as much as previous years. Nothing comes easy against the Knicks’ defense this year, and Robinson has been a huge reason why.

On the offensive end, Robinson’s numbers are probably never going to blow you away, and while there are areas of his game that need work (which we’ll get to in a moment), he still does a good job of cleaning up around the rim and throwing down lobs to bring some energy to the offense.

Room for improvement

A lot of Robinson’s offensive production comes on putbacks and lobs, and that’s because the Knicks aren’t going to draw up a lot of non-lob plays for him given that his offensive skillset hasn’t grown much during his three seasons.

In the offseason and heading into this new season, Robinson posted videos and spoken to the media about unveiling his three-point shot. But 146 games into his career, Robinson is still to attempt a single three. You don’t want a player extending too far beyond his comfort range, but if Robinson is putting in work behind the scenes to work on that shot, then the hope is it eventually gets to the point where he’d showcase it in a game.

Robinson’s just not going to be one of the new-age centers that we see stepping out to the three-point line routinely and drawing opposing centers away from the rim. And he doesn’t have many post moves either, which limits him at times to being a screen-and-roll-type player. But it wouldn’t hurt to see Robinson be a bit more aggressive on the offensive end to give the Knicks another scoring option down low alongside Julius Randle.

Robinson doesn’t get to the line much, as he’s only taken 32 free throws in 19 games this season, but when he does get there, his free-throw shooting remains poor, as he’s shooting a career worst 43.8 percent from the charity stripe. At times, Robinson almost looks disinterested at the line, and if he wants to be more of a complete player, he has to be able to both get to the line more and knock down more of his free throws.

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