Knicks feel Robinson snubbed of Rising Stars
INDIANAPOLIS — Knicks interim coach Mike Miller says center Mitchell Robinson was “worthy’’ of being a Rising Star, calling his campaign “a great year.”
Robinson, the 7-foot-1 super athletic second-round pick, has failed to develop a mid-range shot in his second season, gets in foul trouble and sometimes is out of position defensively, but Miller sees growth and a 71.8 percent field-goal percentage that leads the NBA.
According to sources, Knicks brass fully expected Robinson to be part of the Rising Stars Challenge during AllStar weekend in Chicago in his second season. “The Shotblocker from The Bayou’’ was a second team All-Rookie pick in 2018-19.
The Rising Stars Challenge on Feb. 14 is made up of the top rookies and sophomores but broken into Team World vs. Team USA. RJ Barrett, the Knicks’ No. 3 pick, got the nod but is from Canada and will play for Team World, which had fewer candidates.
“[Robinson] is elite,’’ Miller said after Saturday’s morning shootaround at Bankers Life Fieldhouse before facing the Pacers. “He’s leading the league in shooting percentage. That’s one piece of what he’s doing. He’s top in the league in blocked shots. He’s impacted the game in so many ways. If he isn’t blocking shots, he’s changing shots. He’s changing how people are playing.”
According to Miller, Robinson is doing effective stuff that’s not showing up in his box score as one of the NBA’s most feared alley-oop threats.
“You look at all of these rolls [to the basket] he doesn’t get the ball, it’s the pressure he puts on the basket,’’ Miller said. “[They] are assists for other guys who get shots. He’s impacted the game in so many different ways.” A Rising Star? “There’s a lot of people worthy and he’s having a great year, with what he’s doing for this team,’’ Miller said.
Assistant coaches vote for the slots. The Knicks’ record of 13-36 doesn’t help. He also comes off the bench as veteran Taj Gibson continues to start.
“It’s not something that’s going to hurt my feelings,’’ Robinson said. “I’m still going to come out here and play. I’m still going to move on and continue to play ball. I’m still in the NBA, so I really don’t care.”
Barrett came to Robinson’s defense. They would have been opponents.
“That’s a tough one, especially for the USA team,’’ Barrett said. “It’s so many people competing for certain spots and it’s hard to not see him out there because he’s such a great talent. But he’s going to keep working and prove people wrong.’’