As Aaron Gordon drove along the baseline in the opening minute of the second quarter Tuesday night, Mitchell Robinson gave chase. Jumping on one side of the rim and swinging his right arm, Robinson came up empty as Gordon continued for a reverse layup attempt. Robinson threw out his left arm, trying to block the shot on that side, too.
He didn’t get the block on that drive, being assessed a foul, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. And that has become the common theme for the Knicks’ 7-1 rookie as he has made his way around the league by trying — and often succeeding — to block anything he can get near.