The Knicks will open their season Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers without key players Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson. All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns might also miss the action, listed as questionable with a right quad strain.
Hart hasn’t played since the preseason opener against Philadelphia in Abu Dhabi nearly three weeks ago, when he logged just seven minutes before lumbar spasms sidelined him.
Robinson is out for what the team calls “left ankle injury management.” The 7-footer hasn’t seen the court since playing the first half against Minnesota on October 9.
“Still the same,” Knicks coach Mike Brown told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “Neither one practiced today, but we’re going to keep monitoring them, and I’ll get with the medical staff and we’ll see what we’re going to do.”
Brown clarified to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that Robinson isn’t actually injured this time around.
The two-time NBA Coach of the Year explained that Robinson’s absence is more precautionary than anything else.
“Really, it’s load management,” Brown said Tuesday. “Which means that, obviously, if we deemed it necessary, could he possibly go? Yeah, he could possibly go. He missed a lot of games last year, so we want to be cautious going forward with him. That’s about the extent of it right there.”
Fans have been wondering whether Brown would choose Robinson or Hart as the fifth starter in the lineup during preseason. That decision will now have to wait.
Hart, 30, is heading into his ninth NBA season after a stellar 2024-25 campaign where he averaged 13.6 points and set career highs with 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.5 steals while playing a whopping 37.6 minutes per game.
Robinson, 27, had a tough time last season. He was limited to just 17 games after missing the start of the season recovering from ankle surgery. When he did play, he averaged just 5.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in a career-low 17.1 minutes per game.
This will be Robinson’s eighth season in the league.
The Cavaliers aren’t at full strength either. They’ll be missing Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot) on Wednesday. De’Andre Hunter is questionable with a right knee contusion.
Garland’s absence isn’t a surprise. Back in June, Cleveland announced he would miss at least four months after surgery to repair his left big toe, an injury he first suffered in March against Utah.
Strus underwent surgery in August for a Jones fracture in his left foot that he got during a workout. The team expects him to be out three to four months, meaning he’ll likely miss at least the first month of the season.
