New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is one of the team’s more impactful players. He is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league and provides quality rim protection with his size and length.
Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson has a major free throw problem
However, there is a major weakness of his that is starting to be taken advantage of by opposing teams. To make matters worse, it is a weakness that has been around him his whole career, and is only trending in the wrong direction.
Despite this being Robinson’s eighth NBA season, free throws continue to haunt him. He is shooting a gusty percentage at the charity stripe this season, shooting just 20% on his foul shots. As of now, that is the worst free throw percentage by a player in a single season in NBA history.
On Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors, Robinson was forced to the line several times, as Toronto began doing the hack-a-Mitch strategy by intentionally fouling him. The method forced Robinson off the floor quickly, as he shot just 2-for-8 at the line.
This is not the first time teams have implemented that strategy this season, as the Boston Celtics also did it in their matchup last week. His free throw struggles are a real problem for the Knicks, and it makes it hard for head coach Mike Brown to play Robinson in key situations of games.
Robinson desperately needs to make an adjustment
Until there is any sign of improvement, teams will continue to force Robinson to the line and make them pay. Unfortunately, his free throw struggles have only gotten worse. While he has never been a good free throw shooter in his career, this year is by far his worst in terms of free throw shooting.
The Knicks already have to be cautious with Robinson’s health, including not playing him in back-to-backs. Now, even when he is healthy, teams have found a way to quickly get him off the floor and limit his impact, which is a real problem for New York.
The hope is that Robinson can make some adjustments to his free throw shooting and become serviceable from the line, but until that happens, it won’t change how other teams deter his on-court impact.