The New York Knicks will be shorthanded against the San Antonio Spurs while Mitchell Robinson nurses a sprained right ankle.
The New York Knicks open their season on Wednesday night against the Spurs in San Antonio (8:30 p.m. ET). However, they’ll be missing their up-and-coming center, Mitchell Robinson.
The team announced that Robinson will miss the season opener with a sprained right ankle. He was previously listed as questionable.
The former second-round pick is one of the most promising young players on the Knicks and the organization is hoping for a big leap from the rim-running 7-footer. He was named to the All-Rookie second team last season and he finished with the fourth-most blocks (161) of any player in the league despite only appearing in 66 games.
For reference, Rudy Gobert finished with 187 blocks last season and played almost twice as many minutes as Robinson.
In brighter news, Taj Gibson was cleared to play after dealing with a sore right calf. The veteran was one of the many bigs that the Knicks signed this offseason and he should see time at the four and five.
With Robinson out, Gibson could start alongside power forward Julius Randle. The other option the Knicks have is Bobby Portis, but his defense leaves something to be desired.
Head coach David Fizdale hasn’t announced his starting lineup, but there are reports that Allonzo Trier is currently under consideration to start, most likely alongside RJ Barrett in the backcourt.
There are no Spurs currently listed on the NBA’s most recent injury report.
