Knicks' Summer League Center Experiment Is Quickly Up in Flames

New York might want to rethink this situation as the summertime actions continues.

Sometimes, experiments work out in a team's favor. Unfortunately, for the Knicks, this isn't one of those instances. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saturday's 70-49 loss to the Spurs saw the Knicks drop to 0-2 to begin the Las Vegas circuit of the 2026 NBA Summer League. Although a team's performance each summer isn't indicative of how they'll perform in the regular season, that doesn't change the fact that Knicks fans would like to see something out of the young guns—even if they're on the losing side of the equation.

The fan base has been closely monitoring a handful of up-and-comers, including Liam Robbins. The former SEC Defensive Player of the Year landed a Summer League opportunity with the Knicks after spending the 2025-26 campaign with the NBA G League's Rip City Remix.

With backup center Mitchell Robinson off to the Celtics, Ariel Hukporti joining the 76ers and some fans not sold on Andre Drummond as the ideal replacement, there was hope that Robbins could use the offseason action to show the Knicks that they have a diamond in the rough on their hands. After all, he's a legitimate seven-footer with some NBA experience.

Unfortunately, Robbins's Summer League run is trending in the wrong direction, leaving it unclear whether he has a future with the franchise.

Liam Robbins's Knicks dreams are fading in Summer League

Although few Knicks had standout performances on Saturday, Robbins was among Summer League head coach T.J. Saint's least productive players. The 27-year-old seven-footer missed his two field-goal attempts—both three-pointers—in the 13 minutes of action he saw, all while turning the ball over a team-high five times. He had a pair of defensive rebounds and an assist, but that's far from enough to wipe out the bad that he did (such as finishing with a minus-14 rating and six personal fouls).

Liam Robbins hasn't capitalized on his NBA Summer League opportunity with the Knicks. Has he crossed the point of no return? | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It's a small sample size, but it's hard to get excited about Robbins's outlook when he's averaging only 2.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and an assist while shooting 50.0% from the floor and missing both of his three-point attempts in two outings this summer. In fact, he's now just 3-of-15 (20.0%) from beyond the arc in Summer League action, including the five games he played with the Wizards last year.

After seeing him get outworked by the Spurs, it's hard to imagine a world where Robbins is the Knicks' No. 3 center come opening night of the 2026-27 season. The defending NBA Champions need a reliable veteran to back up Karl-Anthony Towns and Drummond, and it's clear that Robbins isn't that guy. If he can't step up in the summer, how can anyone believe that he can reach another gear in the regular season?

Robbins's next opportunity to try impressing the Knicks will come when they face the Pistons on Monday afternoon. New York will have at least two more games to play after that; however, a third consecutive forgettable outing would warrant pulling the plug before even considering another appearance. If Saint has the Knicks' best interests at heart, Monday will be a make-or-break situation. There's still plenty of time before the regular season to figure out a new plan.

Only time will tell whether Robbins can rise to the occasion. He's averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and .473/.308/.632 splits in 45 career NBA G League games, and it would be great if he could prove to be that player when the Knicks take the court next.

Otherwise, it'll be time to pull the plug on this experiment once and for all.