Robinson stays mum on why he never played in college
Any clarity why Mitchell Robinson left college last season will have to wait for another day, if it happens at all.
In his introductory press conference Friday – after being selected 36th overall by the Knicks – Robinson seemed nervous and purposefully short with his answers. Asked about his journey to the NBA – specifically his decision to leave Western Kentucky twice without playing a game – Robinson said, “The decision was made because I just wanted to focus on basketball to get to the means to where I want to be in my career.”
The inference was that school would be too much of a distraction.
Asked about the state of his game after a year off and the importance of Summer League, Robinson responded, “My game has improved. I’m just ready to show that on the court.”
It was a different mood than the typical introductory press conference, but Robinson also had the luxury of GM Scott Perry and team president Steve Mills seated adjacent to fill in the blanks.
“We know we have a situation that can help embrace him, find ways for him to grow off the court and on the court,” Mills said.
“We know we have a group of coaches and an environment that will help him grow.”
If there are questions about Mitchell’s maturity or drive, they should be answered pretty quickly with the Knicks. Coach David Fizdale is known to run a trying
training camp. Regardless, there’s a reason the Knicks are taking a shot at a 7-footer who hasn’t played a meaningful game in a year (by choice).
“We watched him in all of the high school events a year ago and he was a standout,” Perry said.
“The most athletic big really in the class, we felt.”