The Knicks announced on Tuesday that backup big Mitchell Robinson is done for the season due to a “stress injury” in his left ankle. He’s set for re-evaluation in 6-8 weeks and New York fans are convinced that Joel Embiid is responsible because of the stupid sequence from round one:

First things first – some context.

Robinson was the Knicks’ starter for the first portion of the season. He missed almost 50 games after ankle surgery, then returned late to back up Isaiah Hartenstein, so he really did not have a lot of runway to get healthy in the lead up to the playoffs, just 10 games on the repaired ankle before Thibs had him on the court for 30 minutes in Game 1 and 18 minutes in Game 2. This particular sequence took place in Game 3 and he missed Game 4, but played 25 minutes and 18 minutes in Games 5 and 6, respectively.

Sixers fans are correct in pointing out that Embiid pulled at the right ankle and not the left, or at least that was the foot that bent upon landing. The left ankle is behind Embiid’s leg in those video clips, so it’s hard to see whether he lands awkwardly on the left in addition to the right. Regardless, he comes up limping on a play from Embiid that was undeniably dirty and pointless. How much weight came down on the left and not the right? Only Robinson can answer that question.

That being said, I honestly thought the play where Embiid and Robinson hit the floor next to Donte DiVicenzo had more of an affect on the injured ankle:


Normally a “stress injury” or “stress fracture” occurs over time. It’s an overuse issue and not something singularly traumatic. That considered, it’s hard to say how much the grabbing instance contributed to the “stress.” Robinson did play three more games after this, so the concept that Embiid “ended” Robinson’s season is a nebulous one. You could say Embiid played a role in the buildup, but it’s not like Robinson was done at that specific time, carted off the floor, and ruled out definitively. He played 55 minutes over the course of those three additional games after this happened.