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Some may see a double- or triple-team and get frustrated.

Mitchell Robinson sees it and gains confidence.

“I feel like I’m a dangerous man,” Robinson said. “You got to put three guys on me to keep me off the glass. That says a lot. I’m really becoming something. Mano a mano, man.”

Opponents have been throwing multiple bodies at Robinson when a shot comes off the rim. They are not always successful.

Entering Monday’s game against the Bucks at the Garden, Robinson ranked 18th in the NBA with 9.0 total rebounds per game. More impressive were his 4.3 offensive rebounds per game, which trailed only Grizzlies veteran Steven Adams (5.0). Robinson’s offensive rebounding percentage — which measures the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player brings down while he is on the floor — of 15.8 was also second in the league behind only Adams (16.7).

The fifth-year Robinson, whose growth has been on full display this season, takes the added attention as a positive.


  Mitch Robinson dunks the ball for the Knicks against the Raptors in Jan. 6. NBAE via Getty Images Mitch Robinson dunks the ball for the Knicks against the Raptors in Jan. 6. NBAE via Getty Images

“Hell yeah that’s a compliment,” he said. “I love it. Now I feel like I’m getting to a threat level. So pretty big.”

Robinson’s more consistent play has been an important development for the Knicks, who hit the halfway point of their season Monday night. They rewarded their former second-round pick with a four-year, $60 million contract last offseason and are now reaping the rewards.

Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson are the two Knicks receiving All-Star consideration, but Robinson has been a valuable piece of the puzzle as well. His net rating of 10.3 — how many points the Knicks outscore their opponents by per 100 possessions when he is on the court — leads the team and is the seventh-best mark in the league among qualified players.

Much of that is due to the 7-footer’s tenacious rebounding.

“Once I get to the spot and I’m playing there, it’s going to be hard to move me,” Robinson said. “You might as well try to pick me up and just move me out the way. If I’m on the ground, you’re done. You’re done. You got to do what you got to do. Aye, 270 [pounds]. Ain’t lightweight.”

The previous time the Knicks played Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Robinson pulled down 20 rebounds — one off his career-high — including a career-high 11 offensive boards.


  Mitchell Robinson USA TODAY Sports Mitchell Robinson USA TODAY Sports

Thanks in large part to Robinson’s work on the offensive glass, the Knicks also lead the NBA with 17.6 second-chance points per game.

“That’s a big part of the game,” Robinson said. “You need second-chance points. Especially in today’s game. You got a lot of guys who shoot 3s. It helps a lot.”

Robinson arrived to the Knicks as something of a project, a raw center who only spent a few weeks at Western Kentucky University before dropping out and never playing a college game. He often battled foul trouble early in his NBA career, but experience has helped him largely cut down on those instances as the game slows down for him.

Now, he has a goal of making the NBA’s All-Defensive team. He did not receive any votes for the team during his first four years in the league, but could be making a stronger case this season.

“Sometimes I have setbacks and I’m like, ‘I know that’s going to be a downfall right there,’ ” Robinson said. “So it’s like, it bounces around. I’m sitting there like, ‘Damn I fouled out. That’s going to mess up my chance up right there.’ Probably didn’t. But I think about that a lot.”

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