New York Knicks C Mitchell Robinson fractures right hand

The New York Knicks announced that Mitchell Robinson has suffered a fractured right hand in the midst of his best game of the year.

The New York Knicks are about to test their depth at center. Mitchell Robinson left Friday night’s win over the Washington Wizards. The Knicks soon announced that X-rays revealed a fracture in Robinson’s right hand. The team will re-evaluate him on Saturday.

The play happened when Robinson and Julius Randle were contesting Rui Hachimura.

Julius Randle says Mitchell Robinson fractured his hand in a collision with Randle's elbow while they both contested a shot from Rui Hachimura pic.twitter.com/j8TYBs5yB9

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 13, 2021

“The training staff actually showed me a video,” Randle told reporters after the game. “On that play where Hachimura got the offensive foul he tried to contest the shot as well and I guess his hand collided with my elbow. That’s a tough break for him.”

Talk about brutal timing. Robinson was playing one of the best games of his career prior to the injury, tallying 10 points, 14 rebounds, and two steals in just 20 minutes of action. He was bullying Alex Len on both sides of the floor.

Robinson, 22, is posting per-game averages consistent with his career marks. Offensively, he’s still dependent on pick-and-rolls and putbacks for the most part, but he’s becoming a much more steady player on defense. He’s making noticeable strides under Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau in that regard.

Even though his blocks are down, Robinson is a much more steady presence as a defensive anchor. He has yet to foul out of a game this year after doing so 15 times in his first two seasons with the Knicks.

Despite the injury to Robinson, the Knicks still cruised to an easy win over the Wizards. With no Bradley Beal, Washington didn’t have the firepower to score on this stout Knicks defense.

The Knicks return home on Saturday to face the Houston Rockets. They will do so without Robinson, but we still don’t know how long this injury will keep Robinson out.