Mitchell Robinson addresses Snapchat post about lack of offensive touches

A couple days ago, Mitchell Robinson went somewhat viral for a deleted Snapchat post where he was complaining about his lack of offensive role and involvement. Fans around the league were quick to voice their opinions with many believing that he could’ve handled the situation better. Well, it seems like Robinson, after having a couple of days to cool down and think about the situation, had a bit more to say.

Earlier today, it was revealed that Robinson decided to clear the air by commenting on an Instagram post made by Knicks Fan TV (@knicksfantv). In the comment, the Knicks’ center revealed that the past few weeks had been tough on him with a baby on the way and family issues arising. He went on to say, “I just got to figure a way to get back under control” and added, “when my mind was free, I was good after I had 3 bad games, I just started thinking about all the stuff I had going on and kept it going. I’ll figure it out [though] I’ll be fine”. Robinson then reiterated that he should’ve handled it differently and that he doesn’t want any bad blood.

Afterwards, Robinson had some words for the people who had called him selfish, stating, “most of y’all wanna say I’m being childish or petty or whatever but let me put this in the air now because I can be selfish shoot 80 shots and not play defense but that’s not me though I give up my body for this.” The big man rounded out his comments with his explanation on why he plays the way he does citing his passion and love for the game.

Overall, this is a step in the right direction for the Knicks and it’s fans. While it’s obvious that in an ideal world, Robinson wouldn’t have gone public with his frustrations to begin with, everybody makes mistakes. And that statement is even more true for someone who is still just 24-years old like Robinson. The young center made a clear mistake earlier this week but his latest comments show a sign of growth, maturation and understanding. We, as fans, can go on and on about how players should be unselfish professionals, who are good teammates and never makes mistakes. And part of that is fair. You’d obviously like the people and the players you root for to meet a certain standard. But at the same time, these players are human just like all of us and we, myself included, sometimes forget that. They have stuff going on in their lives outside of basketball and sometimes they can make mistakes. Mitchell is still a very young man and hopefully he can continue to use these experiences to grow as a leader, teammate, person, and player.