The New York Knicks are battling familiar faces vs Toronto Raptors at MSG tonight. The Knicks just defeated the Raptors 126-100 as they lost their seven-foot center to an ankle injury early in the game. Isaiah Hartenstein left the game with ankle soreness after playing 23 minutes.

He finished the game with one point, four rebounds, and one assist. No further details about the nature of the injury have been divulged yet.

But New York is concerned if they will have to lose their second big man too. Not too long ago, the franchise announced their other 7-foot big man, Mitchell Robinson, would be sidelined for the rest of the season. In Mitch’s absence, Hartenstein was called upon to pick the slack and he did just that.

No one expected him to match the production of Robinson, but he had embodied the New York underdog mentality despite this being just the second season with the franchise. An example would be the January 3rd matchup against the Bulls, where he recorded a career-high of 20 rebounds and five blocks.

There is no doubt that Hart’s contributions to the team this season have been nothing short of miraculous. So, his current injury status will impact the team’s defense greatly. They do have Precious Achiuwa to take his place if so needed.

But it will be a Mitchell Robinson situation all over, and there is no guarantee that Achiuwa can pull a Hartenstein.

Why Mitchell Robinson’s position was considered hard to replace

Robinson was leading the league in offensive rebounds with 5.3 per game before he was sidelined. Many agreed that the Knicks got a steal deal when they signed an extension with Mitch last summer on a four-year $60 million contract. As per Cleaning the Glass, Robinson, when on the floor, grabs 17% of NY’s misses.

Knicks Aim to Profit $7.8 Million From Heartbreaking Mitchell Robinson Injury

His defensive skills are also a feature they would find hard to replace. Robinson has ranked within the top 20 in defensive rating three times in his career. The team’s belief in Mitchell is apparent, seeing that he is regularly put on interior threats. The most noteworthy was the November 8 matchup against the Spurs, when his assignment was the generational talent, Wembanyama.

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With him as the primary defender, Wemby was reduced to 0-of-6 from the field, finishing that game with 14 points. Seeing as how well he was progressing this season, Mitch was one of the frontrunners for the All-Defensive Team. Until his season-ending injury.

And now, they have Isaiah Hartenstein also in a somewhat similar situation. Hopefully, it isn’t too serious and we can see him take the floor soon.

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