When the Knicks drafted Mitchell Robinson with the 36th pick in the NBA Draft last June, it was seen as the team buying a lottery ticket. Robinson wasn’t well known despite a pedigree as an All-American in high school. He hadn’t played in a year and left college the summer after high school. It was a high-upside, low-risk move by the franchise.
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Nearly a full season later, Robinson has emerged as one of the best shot-blockers in the league. He’s second in the NBA in blocks per game (2.44) and now has 22 straight games of at least two blocks, after swatting two more Sunday against the Clippers. He has become one of the few bright spots for the woebegone Knicks.
“He really has a timing and a technique that I don’t know if I’ve seen in a 20-year-old that sat out a year of basketball,” coach David Fizdale said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen that before, to be that good at something. That’s very difficult. And to be able to do it in a way that saves possessions. He had one (Friday night) that he kept inbounds out of those blocks. The one led to the dunk. That’s just a real talent to be able to do that.”
Robinson’s elite production comes from a combination of different attributes. He’s 7-foot tall, with a 7-4 wingspan. He’s a dynamic athlete, with sky-high leaping ability. He’s also nimble and quick on his size-14 feet.
Fizdale says Robinson is a quick study, picking up and digesting information quickly. But shot-blocking is an inherent skill for Robinson. He has become a top rim protector despite a year spent working out in empty gymnasiums and a two years of high school in New Orleans playing against competition that could have hardly prepared him for the NBA.
“Some of that is just natural,” Fizdale said. “The timing and all of that stuff, that’s natural stuff. He walked in here with timing everything. The fact that he naturally already just instinctually says, ‘oh left hand block versus the right hand block because it’s the right hand to use.’ Those are things that you can teach some of that stuff but man, he walked in the door with a lot of that. The biggest thing with him was understanding what was going on around him and how fast the action was coming at him. And over the course of the year, it seems like that he’s adjusted to that really well.”
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Robinson, just 20, has already made himself a foundation piece for the Knicks. Fizdale believes that he will become a defensive player of the year candidate if he can work himself into a player who can average 30-plus minutes a game. For now, though, the Knicks can revel in their second-round find.
To find out how Robinson has become such a good shot-blocker so early in his career, The Athletic showed him seven of his blocks and asked him to explain what he did, how he did it, and why he does it so well. So here’s a video session with Mitchell Robinson on Mitchell Robinson’s blocked shots.
Let’s start with the James Harden block. What do you think when he iso’s on you at the top of the key and looks like he’s trying to do his usual Harden stuff?
We watch a lot of film and I also get with other guys. They’ll pretty much give me an input like information on what he likes to do, what moves he likes to do. So I took that in. Then in my head I’m “Get ready for the step-back, get ready for the step-back.” When he decided to do the step-back I was already there. I gapped him a little bit because if I had gotten a little bit closer I’m pretty sure he’s a little bit faster than me, maybe, he would just beat me to the rim. So I had to gap him up a little bit and I’m long enough where at least if I can’t block the shot I can get a good contest.
You’ve seen Harden embarrass a couple of defenders up there. Are you worried about that at all and not making a highlight?
Yeah, he got a lot of highlights on people but I wasn’t really worried about it. It’s basketball. It happens. That’s just basketball.
This is the double block from you on Aaron Gordon last month. You did something that you did a lot of, which is coming out to the perimeter and blocking a 3, then trailing him to the basket as well.
I know that we were redding on that one. On picks, Coach wanted us to red. They did that same play like right before that. So I’m like “OK, he might try to do the same thing. Let me try to get up a little bit.” As soon as he came off the screen and I’ve seen him go into his little shot so I went, “OK let me contest that.” I went for it and I got it. Then the second one, when he got it right back, I don’t know, I just chased him down on that one.
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Are you comfortable guarding guys on the perimeter now? It’s something you’ve done a lot of.
Yeah, I don’t got no problem with it. If someone put a move on me, they just do. It’s basketball.
This is from November. I don’t know if you remember this one. You come out, you’re down on the ground underneath the basket and you still block that.
Don't know if anyone keeps track of blocked shots by location but Mitchell Robinson's penchant for blocking 3s is a calling card now. Here's block no. 8 last night, on Jerian Grant. Look at how much space he eats up. He was down on the floor under the hoop before Grant caught it. pic.twitter.com/9ygjdXCiit
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) November 12, 2018
That one was not supposed to be my rotation but I saw a wide open guy and I saw the problem. So I had to go at least try — multiple efforts — and luckily I got it.
If you’re down on the ground under the basket and they kick it out in the corner when he’s wide open, nobody would have said something.
As I’ve seen the ball get swung … As I seen the ball get right there I got up … There’s too many people. Mario (Hezonja) is going to have to take him and ‘Zo (Trier) got them two so I had to help them make efforts.
Nobody would’ve killed you if you stopped on the play.
Yeah, but we’re already down. Why not just try.
I don’t know if you remember this one in Summer League. The thing that’s impressive about this, like the previous one, is how much ground you make up on the play. Can you go through the process?
This block by Mitchell Robinson is nuts. Look at the amount of ground he covers after defending the pick-and-roll. pic.twitter.com/LLMLj2wPrl
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 11, 2018
I’ve seen that someone took my guy. Billy (Garrett) took my guy and then he was wide open so I just ran straight to the corner. As I was going he was already in the air, ready to shoot. So I just blocked it, grabbed the rebound and went the other way.
Are the plays like that and the one against the Magic, is that more a credit to your athleticism or to the effort level?
I’ve done it a few times, me playing basketball. I would say it’s my athleticism. I give credit to that.
You’re also blocking a lot of shots with your off-hand. It seems like this one you could’ve gotten right-handed.
Oh y'know, just another easy-peasy left-handed block by Mitchell Robinson pic.twitter.com/YKioOj48Os
— Posting and Toasting (@ptknicksblog) March 5, 2019
I don’t know. Because my right hand probably got stuck to the net probably because I had to turn my body. I probably got hit by the rim or the net. My left hand was on that side.
Why do you block so many shots left-handed? [Robinson is a natural right-hander]
I really do not know. I used to block all with my right before I got here.
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What changed?
I don’t know … High school was always right. Then I got here it’s always left.
Do you notice which hand you block with? Or which hand you should go up with?
Now, I think, in my head I go off the top shoulder.
What are you thinking on this play against Derrick Rose?
Mitchell Robinson just blocked the crap out of D-Rose for his second block of the night, and I'm happy now pic.twitter.com/7GK9C7pX6s
— Posting and Toasting (@ptknicksblog) March 11, 2019
I prepared myself for that. The first time we played him he kept doing the floater so I was pretty sure when he comes through this lane he’ll try to do it again.
So you’ve memorized a lot of the plays how you played them before. How good is your memory that you remember all that?
It’s like 50/50 because at the same time we watch film and that refreshed me. We watch a lot of film. It refreshed me on how to play these guys.
You come out to trap on Devin Booker here and you rotate all the way over. When you come out to trap are you thinking my job here is to contain the point guard or ball-handler or is my job here to get back to the rim as fast as I can?
It’s really to get back to my guy. Kick the guard out because nine times out of 10 the people that I’m guarding are going to be bigger, stronger than our point guard. So I try to get back to my guy so I can kick my point guards out. He was driving so I had to step up. He wasn’t going to get a free dunk.
Josh Jackson is obviously trying to come in and posterize you because he thinks maybe you’re out of position. Do you think about it in terms of you might not have the best position but I gotta come up and my athleticism and length make up for it?
I think my length makes up for it.
Is it intentional that you block shots inbounds?
[Robinson nods yes.]
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This is the last one. This is you on De’Aaron Fox. When you’re switched on a guard or helping on one, what are you trying to do? Stay in front of him? Lure him to get that shot up?
I’m not trying to let him score. Try to clog up the paint as much as I can. When they just go up if I know a guard has kind of gotten beat a little bit I’ll come over and help him out a little bit.
Anyone you’ve watched trying to be a better shot-blocker or is this natural for you?
It’s just natural.
(Top photo: Andy Marlin / USA TODAY Sports)