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Mitchell Robinson's rookie season took off with one trade: the Kristaps Porzingis deal that brought DeAndre Jordan into the blue and orange. They established a mentor-mentee relationship that allowed Robinson to go on a tear down the stretch of the season. Jordan left the Knicks in free agency this past summer to join their crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets, and tonight Robinson faces his former mentor for the first time at Madison Square Garden tonight.

"It's going to be great, I played against him last time and it was kind of fun," Robinson told SI.com prior to the contest. When asked if there would be any trash talk between them, Robinson replied, "there might be." Incidentally, competitiveness is how their relationship was forged

"At practice he just tried to go at me, hard, and I wasn't having that," Robinson explained when asked how their bond began. "We just went at eachother in practice, he got me talking more."

Robinson has continued to show promise in his second season, partly due to the lessons Jordan imparted on him. His biggest takeaway from the vet? 

"Remembering plays," Robinson said. "He told me you need to try and remember each and every play that you can, as much as you can, that'll help your teammates out, being able to call it out early, get your guys in the right spot."

Robinson looks to use what he learned against the Nets tonight.