Mitchell Robinson griping about his role once again

NEW YORK — Mitchell Robinson is again venting on social media with cryptic messages about his role.

Following his paltry stat line in Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors, the Knicks center posted on his Instagram story, “One thing I learn after every game. ...Literally running for cardio. …And playing help defense. …Let’s get it LOL.”

The insinuation from Robinson — who scored just two points on two shots in 14 minutes — was that he’s not getting the opportunities with the ball, and running around without purpose except “cardio.” The vagueness would be easy to dismiss except Robinson has a history of such grumbling. Just last season, he tweeted after a game, “One day they’ll let me play.” He later claimed it was a “personal tweet” about “something going on in my life,” which was a hard sell considering it was sent — and deleted — immediately after he took just four shots in 31 minutes in a loss to the Jazz.

Robinson, 23, was recently removed from the starting lineup amid an admission he hasn’t yet recovered his conditioning level following a lengthy recovery from a broken foot. The 23-year-old put on weight in the offseason and entered Thursday’s game against the Rockets averaging career-lows in points (6.7) and field goal attempts (3.7).

Robinson will become an unrestricted free agent after the season after finishing a team-friendly deal that paid him just $6.5 million over four years. He was projected as a top-level rim protector and finisher after earning Second Team All-rookie in 2019, and set the NBA’S single-season record for field goal percentage in 2020. But a combination of injuries and inconsistency since have halted the hype.

COVID outbreak grows: Kevin Knox became the latest to get sent into COVID-19 protocols, leaving the Knicks at least four players short for Thursday’s game against the Rockets.

RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes previously tested positive and each missed Tuesday’s defeat to the Warriors.

Knox rode the pine all season but was thrust into the rotation the last two games because of the outbreak. His absence could mean a bigger role for Taj Gibson and/or Jericho Sims. Tom Thibodeau has shown no inclination to play Kemba Walker since removing him from the starting lineup.

Knox missed Summer League in August after contracting COVID-19.

“I lost some weight. But I put it on pretty quick,” Knox said in October of his first bout with the illness. “The first week, I had trouble getting my wind back.”