For anyone wondering whether the New York Knicks will soon extend Mitchell Robinson, the 27-year-old just reminded us why they won’t, and probably shouldn’t: His health remains an omnipresent obstacle.

Last year, after returning from ankle surgery, Robinson did not appear in both ends of back-to-backs. Asked by the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy if this would remain the plan in 2025-26, he responded by saying that the team hasn’t told him yet, and that he’s going to “let them handle that.”

This answer does not infer any unsavory developments unfolding behind the scenes. Robinson is right. The Knicks just opened training camp. Head coach Mike Brown and friends have a lot on their plate, a laundry list of have-to-dos that includes figuring out whether Robinson, Josh Hart, or Deuce McBride will round out the starting lineup.

Yet, Robinson’s ability to play in back-to-backs even being a question is nevertheless a harbinger of why his future remains so uncertain.

Mitchell Robinson’s health could always be an issue

Over the past three years, New York’s big man has appeared in 107 of a possible 246 regular-season games. That’s the equivalent of being available roughly 43.5 percent of the time.

Committing long-term money to him with the spectre of his injury history looming is all sorts of uncomfortable. It’s especially unsettling knowing he’s averaged over 25 minutes per game across at least 60 appearances only once for his career. There’s a reason why Ariel Hukporti is sneakily critical to the roster.

It would be one thing if Robinson is willing to sign a team-friendly extension in light of his question marks. But the impact he has on the defensive end and the glass when he’s available probably has him seeing more dollar signs than the Knicks are prepared to give.

Certain teams may be able to stomach Robinson’s risk-reward profile while paying him a starter’s salary. New York isn’t one of them. Its first foray into the second apron is likely coming next season. Investing heavily in players who can’t consistently log a moderate-to-heavy amount of rotation minutes is a no-go.

The Knicks could be staring at an indefinite challenge

Robinson can quell some of the doubt by remaining healthy and available through all of 2025-26. But he isn’t going to kibosh all of the skepticism.

Injury risks are not dispelled after one healthy season. Robinson will have a boatload of more leverage ahead of or in free agency if he plays in 70 games while anchoring a rock-solid-or-better defense during his minutes. Even then, though, his track record remains tattooed to memory.

For all we know, the Knicks may have a hard limit on what they’re willing to pay Robinson when he’s operating at the peak of his availability and ability. They already have megastar money tied to one center, in Karl-Anthony Towns, and for all Robinson does on defense, he doesn’t align with the five-out vision we know the team wants to strike.

This is not tantamount to saying that Robinson is gone next summer, or that the Knicks will trade him by February’s deadline. It’s simply an acknowledgement that his future in New York is complicated, finicky, and most of all, unlikely to reach a resolution anytime soon.