New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is on pace to break Wilt Chamberlain’s field goal percentage record this season.
In spite of the New York Knicks‘ struggles this season, one of their young players is having a productive year. Second-year center Mitchell Robinson is averaging 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds on 73.2% shooting. Evidently, the latter statistic stands tall.
The current NBA record for season-wide field goal percentage is 72.7%, set by Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972-73 campaign. Robinson is on pace to pass that mark and learned of this information on Sunday.
Mitchell Robinson finding out he’s on pace to break Wilt Chamberlain’s record for FG% in a season #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/O9dtoRm1C4
— Danny Small (@dwsmall8) March 1, 2020
“For real?” he asked when he was told of the news. “That’s crazy…that’s amazing. I did not know that.”
During that 1972-73 season, which was his final year as a player, Chamberlain averaged 13.2 points and a league-leading 18.6 rebounds. Of course, it’s probably not the most famous record Chamberlain possesses. He’s also the only player to ever score 100 points in a single game.
Robinson is on pace to set career marks in both points per game and rebounds per game as well. During his inaugural season in the league, he averaged 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds through 66 matchups.
In the most recent win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, Robinson put up a team-high 23 points. He additionally snatched 10 boards, which was tied for a game-high. Forward Julius Randle also recorded 10 rebounds with 22 points and a trio of assists through 32 minutes.
With the victory, the Knicks improved to 18-42 and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. They’ll continue their five-game homestand with a 7:00 p.m. ET matchup against the Houston Rockets on Monday.