Fred is still my favorite guy on the beat, they usually have a sale for new subs and I think NYT subs get it already? Either way, some of my favorite bits:
Both Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, sitting on opposite sides of the locker room Wednesday evening and without any knowledge of the other’s quote, used identical lingo, dubbing themselves “proud” of their center.
And that brings us back to Quickley’s amazement: Robinson has always guarded well (though few can reach this level of dominance), but he’s never been so disruptive in passing lanes. He’s already snagged four steals in two separate games — one against the Atlanta Hawks and another against the LA Clippers.
Against the Hawks, he knew lobs were more likely to come because that’s how Trae Young operates with his big men, so he kept his hands up higher in the hopes of deterring or disjointing the point guard’s connection with a high-flying teammate. Against the Clippers, the Knicks knew James Harden loved to bounce pocket passes to his big men with a quick flick of the wrist. Watch Robinson or Hartenstein in that game, and you’d see their hands strategically down for many of the pick-and-rolls, hoping to take away Harden’s go-to.
The coach believes that takeaways should start with strong ball pressure, which comes from the guys up top — whether that’s Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo or someone else. The defenders on the back line then need to protect the paint. That’s Robinson’s job. If there’s one Knicks player in a dribbler’s face and another in his lane, that’s when an offense comes under duress. Robinson’s length and discipline in passing lanes have changed New York’s defense. All of a sudden, it’s a unit with all of Thibodeau’s low-risk principles and a high turnover rate, forcing takeaways on 15 percent of its possessions so far this season, which is ninth in the NBA.
(Note: Robinson, always the biggest goofball in the room, negotiated his way out of interviewing for this story purely because he thought it would be fun to mess with me.)
Mitch is a real treat to watch right now. He’s really embracing the challenge of becoming one of the best bigs in the league. The fact that his own teammates are rallying behind his play says it all perfectly.
Mitch + iHart.
Friends till the End.
GreenEggzAndSpam
Mitch is a Monstar
Ok_Woodpecker1732
I’m still salty about the fact that he just wasn’t included in that article of the top 24 centers in the league recently. I know there’s no offensive bag there, but he does literally everything else for this team. About half the guys on that list were people Mitch has embarrassed on the defensive end either in the playoffs or this season.
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He’s blossoming right in front of all of us.
Fred is still my favorite guy on the beat, they usually have a sale for new subs and I think NYT subs get it already? Either way, some of my favorite bits:
Both Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, sitting on opposite sides of the locker room Wednesday evening and without any knowledge of the other’s quote, used identical lingo, dubbing themselves “proud” of their center.
And that brings us back to Quickley’s amazement: Robinson has always guarded well (though few can reach this level of dominance), but he’s never been so disruptive in passing lanes. He’s already snagged four steals in two separate games — one against the Atlanta Hawks and another against the LA Clippers.
Against the Hawks, he knew lobs were more likely to come because that’s how Trae Young operates with his big men, so he kept his hands up higher in the hopes of deterring or disjointing the point guard’s connection with a high-flying teammate.
Against the Clippers, the Knicks knew James Harden loved to bounce pocket passes to his big men with a quick flick of the wrist. Watch Robinson or Hartenstein in that game, and you’d see their hands strategically down for many of the pick-and-rolls, hoping to take away Harden’s go-to.
The coach believes that takeaways should start with strong ball pressure, which comes from the guys up top — whether that’s Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo or someone else. The defenders on the back line then need to protect the paint. That’s Robinson’s job. If there’s one Knicks player in a dribbler’s face and another in his lane, that’s when an offense comes under duress.
Robinson’s length and discipline in passing lanes have changed New York’s defense. All of a sudden, it’s a unit with all of Thibodeau’s low-risk principles and a high turnover rate, forcing takeaways on 15 percent of its possessions so far this season, which is ninth in the NBA.
(Note: Robinson, always the biggest goofball in the room, negotiated his way out of interviewing for this story purely because he thought it would be fun to mess with me.)
https://archive.ph/02Qxt
Mitch is a real treat to watch right now. He’s really embracing the challenge of becoming one of the best bigs in the league. The fact that his own teammates are rallying behind his play says it all perfectly.
Mitch + iHart.
Friends till the End.
Mitch is a Monstar
I’m still salty about the fact that he just wasn’t included in that article of the top 24 centers in the league recently. I know there’s no offensive bag there, but he does literally everything else for this team. About half the guys on that list were people Mitch has embarrassed on the defensive end either in the playoffs or this season.