On July 1, Mitchell Robinson entered select company: a second-round pick to secure a major contract. 

Upon receiving the news, he celebrated by jumping in the ocean. He didn’t let that exhilarating moment of landing a four-year, $60 million deal last long. The feeling of satisfaction quickly subsided. There was a lot more work to do. 

“For me, it’s kind of the way I grew up … it’s big but also there’s more out there,” the Knicks’ shot-blocking, rebounding menace said. “You know what I mean? So, I’m going to continue to work because basketball is not forever. I wanna play and enjoy it as much as I can. I’m 7-foot. Not a lot of 7-footers gonna last that long. Something goes out: knees, back, anything.” 

Tom Thibodeau has noticed. If anything, he’s seen an even harder worker, a determined player who wants to improve. Robinson, the 36th overall pick in the 2018 draft, performed like it during the preseason, averaging 11.0 points, 8.2 (five offensive) rebounds and 2.2 blocks while notching a plus-66 rating. 

Julius Randle believes Robinson arrived in training camp in the best shape of his young career and Robinson has begun running with Derrick Rose after practice, putting in extra work after Thibodeau’s notoriously demanding practices. 

“You can see it on the court,” the affable, joke-making Robinson said. “I almost played a full quarter without being gassed. So, I’m gonna continue to get in elite shape and just keep going.” 

Thibodeau began to see Robinson’s evolution last offseason. He couldn’t do much due to a knee injury, but the young center used his time wisely, watching extra film and lifting weights. He put on the necessary muscle where last season he was no longer getting pushed around in the paint. 

It helped Robinson appear in a career-best 72 games and finish second in the NBA in offensive rebounding (4.1 per game) behind Steven Adams (4.6) of the Grizzlies, the Knicks’ opponent to kick off the season Wednesday in Memphis. Perhaps, it was part of what convinced the Knicks to keep Robinson, despite signing court-spacing big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16 million deal and having promising young center Jericho Sims on the roster. The Knicks weren’t concerned that Robinson would be satisfied by a new contract. 

“I could tell from the conversations from after the season he had a lot of determination,” Thibodeau said. “I think his experience coming in the [league the] way he did, and then go through it a couple of years, Mitch is a bright guy. Those experiences taught him a lot.” 

Robinson has talked about adding new elements to his game, like posting up and expanding his offensive repertoire. He even tried a crossover in Friday’s preseason finale, though it didn’t go well, Robinson colliding with a defender just inside the 3-point line. It was about the only thing he hasn’t done well so far as the regular season nears. For now, he plans to stick with his strengths: Rebounding, blocking shots, running the floor and finishing above the rim. 

“I think he’s as comfortable and sure of himself as I’ve seen,” Randle said. 

The arrow is pointing up for the big man. He has that big new contract, and the desire for more. 

“I’m gonna continue to work and stay in this league as long as I can,” Robinson said. “I love it.”