Knicks Are Stuck With Mitchell Robinson Despite Broken FT Promise

Mitchell Robinson let the Knicks down in Game 1. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tuesday night saw a familiar sight play out for the Knicks: an opponent putting Mitchell Robinson on the free throw line, and him missing his shots more than making them. Overall, Robinson finished an ugly 2-of-8 from the charity stripe in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which only added to the early obstacles New York faced in the scoring department before its comeback.

What makes this especially disappointing is the fact Robinson teased improvements in this area during the extended break before the conference finals. However, despite burning the team, the Knicks don't have many choices on this front.

Knicks have to stick with Mitchell Robinson in spite of free throw woes

The rub with Robinson is that even though he's an absolute liability at the free throw line, he's incredibly impactful in other areas that matter significantly to New York.

This was on full display early in Game 1. In just over five minutes of action during the first quarter, Robinson was +9 while logging two points, three rebounds (including one offensive) and two steals. His status as a weapon above the rim and in the pick-and-roll showed itself quickly to the Cavaliers, as his slam gave New York a jolt of energy to open things.

The Knicks are on a 12-0 run 💨

Bridges ➡️ Robinson

New York leads by 7 in Game 1! pic.twitter.com/lUlOlGgiMB

— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2026

Seeing this quick impact, the Cavs made sure to neutralize him when he came on in the third quarter. The way to do this is by putting him at the line, which halts him from gaining any positive momentum. This seemed to affect his performance on defense as well, given he finished -7 during this frame. Meanwhile, Cleveland's bigs in Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade combined for 15 points and a total of +25.

These misses were incredibly frustrating, especially since Robinson (and the Knicks) know opponents are going to target him. The best way for him to make things easier for New York is by knocking these free throws down, so the other teams go into the bonus and is giving away easy points.

Robinson seemed to be on a mission to shore up this part of his game while in the waiting period between the second round and ECF. He was spotted at practice working on his form, and even posted on social media bragging about success he was having.

Yet, a live-game scenario is completely different, which was a reason for caution. And starting on this poor of a note could put Robinson even more in his head, leading to similar results.

But, given all the good he does in sorely needed areas for the Knicks, it seems like taking the lumps is still the best course of action. The team doesn't have a real third big to turn to if it were to replace Robinson, as Ariel Hukporti is still very green as a second-year pro.

Mike Brown says the Knicks will continue to let Mitchell Robinson shoot through free throw slumps when teams intentionally foul him. “We need him and what he brings to the floor.”

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) May 20, 2026

While Hukporti was a positive (78.6%) free throw shooter this season, he also was a dismal 46.2% as a rookie, so it's hard to trust him being a clear upgrade there in important minutes. Hukporti showed a lack of discipline against the 76ers when he did get extended run, too, racking up four-plus fouls in three of four games.

Giving this dangerous Cavs team more looks at the line is possibly even more impactful than Robinson missing his. In addition, Hukporti has the third-worst defensive rating (113.2) on New York during the playoffs, so the team would be missing the impact there (101.0) from its main backup to Karl-Anthony Towns.

This isn't the series to experiment with Jeremy Sochan small ball, either, with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley giving the Cavaliers size at almost all times.

Mike Brown's postgame comments only further cement that Robinson isn't going anywhere in the rotation. All the good he does outweighs the bad at the line, even though it's just about as bad it gets. The big man couldn't do much worse at the line than he did Tuesday, so there's plenty of room for this situation to improve.

Perhaps Robinson can tap into the good vibes he had during the break to perform better with free throws. Even a showing like the 4-of-8 he went in Game 2 against the 76ers would help prevent the air from getting sucked out of New York's second unit.

Brown sticking by the center is sure to help restore a bit of his confidence when his free throw efforts could've proved fatal in Game 1. Robinson can also spend Wednesday's practice focused mainly on the charity stripe, hopefully gaining a better rhythm before Thursday's Game 2.