Part of Knicks’ ever-expanding Kentucky connection, Nerlens Noel started the first two games of the preseason in the middle before knocking out the next two with a sore left knee.
Mitchell Robinson said earlier in camp that he doesn’t mind getting off the bench, but the third-year big man moved up to the starting line-up in the past two games in Noel’s absence and was particularly ‘great’ according to coach Tom Thibodeau. Friday, 36-point defeat of the Cavaliers at the Garden.
22-year-old Robinson scored eight points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots without committing a personal foul, and the Knicks were a whopping plus-46 in the 27 minutes he was on the floor.
‘He was great. The same can be said for him about the way he has been practicing and working and being there early and staying late, exercising well and focused, ”said Thibodeau after the game. “I thought he was playing as hard as he could.
‘It was on the ground, it was everywhere. He sat on the edge, shot away, bounced the ball back, sprinted into screens and applied pressure to the edge. Did a lot of good things. We will watch the movie and keep pushing it to get better. “
On December 1, Thibodeau said Robinson “still has a long way to go,” adding that the Knicks were “very happy to have Noel” as a complement and mentor.
Robinson has come off the bench in 101 of his 127 career games, only six of them last season.
Still, the 7-footer set an NBA record in 2019/20 with a .742 field goal percentage, finishing second and seventh respectively in the league in blocked shots in his first two seasons.
In addition to hitting three 3-pointers below his game-high 22 points, rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley also showed on Friday that he was able to get to the free-throw line, sinking five of his team-high seven tries .
“I did it in Kentucky, I learned that in my sophomore year. And it really comes down to watching a lot of movies, ”said Quickley after the game. “Looking at guys like Lou Williams, James Harden, the way they can really use the defense rules against the opponent. And the umpire has no choice but to call a foul. I actually practice it a lot. Just keep working on all parts of my game. I feel like it’s going to be a big step for me. “