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The Knicks may be without two key players for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Cavaliers.

Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart didn’t practice Monday, and Mike Brown wasn’t sure of their status for his first game as the Knicks coach.

Hart missed the final four preseason games due to back spasms while Robinson didn’t play in the last two contests due to what the Knicks have termed load management. Robinson also hasn’t practiced over the past week.

“Everything we’re doing with him is about managing his workload, which we’ll do the whole year,” Brown said, when asked if there is an injury to the 7-foot-1 center.

Brown said he wasn’t sure if Robinson would be available Wednesday. On Friday before the preseason finale, the coach said if it had been a regular-season or playoff game that night, Robinson would have played.


  Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) in action against the 76ers in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4, 2025. REUTERS Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) in action against the 76ers in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4, 2025. REUTERS

Injuries have been a constant for the 27-year-old Robinson, who has averaged 48.1 regular-season games in his seven-year career. Considering the rim-protecting, offensive-rebounding dynamo’s impact when healthy, it makes sense that the Knicks are doing everything possible to keep him on the court.

It still seems strange that the week leading into the regular season a player would be rested.

“I’ve been in different situations where you sit a guy, you manage his workload and he does certain things, whether it’s sometimes shooting free throws, sometimes it’s watching, sometimes it’s walking through this, walking through that,” Brown said. “I’ve been with a lot of guys that have done that throughout the course of my career, starting back in the early 2000s with the Spurs. We had a couple of older guys on the team, so to me it’s not odd, but I’m not saying it’s a bad question.”


  Josh Hart gets hurt during the Knicks’ game against the 76ers in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 2, 2025. AP Josh Hart gets hurt during the Knicks’ game against the 76ers in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 2, 2025. AP

As for Hart, Brown believes he is progressing. He is at least doing on-court work off to the side. The good news is that starters Karl-Anthony Towns (quad) and OG Anunoby (ankle), who both missed Friday’s game against the Hornets, are good to go for Wednesday.

“Obviously, you want nobody to miss any time at all, but that’s not realistic,” Brown said. “I talked about, if somebody is out, it’s the next guy up philosophy, and that’s how we are. So whoever can work today, they’re working, and you feel good about who’s on the floor, knowing you have guys who will be on the floor sooner than later.”

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