Ladybug Robinson

Ladybugs don’t seem particularly important. They’re tiny, harmless-looking beetles that spend their days crawling over leaves. Yet remove them from an ecosystem and things could fall apart. While a ladybug has never snagged an offensive rebound (that we know of), thinking about them made me think about someone who has.

Ladybugs are valuable precisely because they do unglamorous work. Like a ladybug, Mitchell Robinson is productive in a specific way. A single ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphids. With the Knicks, Mitch gobbled up 3,164 rebounds. Unfortunately, ladybugs live 1-3 years in the wild (though many adults only survive a few months). Also unfortunate: we were lucky if Mitch made 1-3 of his free throws.

This off-season, Robinson signed a 3-year, $47.4 million contract with the Boston Celtics. Allegedly, the deal outpaced what the Knicks offered by about $10 mil per year. On the surface, it’s a classic money grab—although less of a grab than Isaiah Hartenstein’s fistful of dollars when he left New York for tornado alley.

Fans have griped about the situation. The contradictions are rampant. We wanted Mitch to stay and get paid. We spent years complaining about his injuries and lack of availability. We expect the front office to be shrewd, then we bellyache about not breaching the second apron on his behalf. 

We had plenty of time to develop affection for the seven-foot Cajun. He wore a Knicks uniform for approximately 29% of his life. That’s a big chunk of existence, and it’s poignant to remember he essentially grew up as a Knick.

Since getting drafted 36th in 2018, he had been the team’s longest tenured player before this departure. He was a young 20 years old when he debuted at Madison Square Garden, playing for a David Fizdale-coached team that finished 17-65. 

During those dark days, the promise of Robinson’s raw talent was a lonely, flickering candle. He appeared on the All-Rookie team. And he is funny, always reliable for a ridiculous soundbyte. Remember that time he told Fred Katz about his D Train? Classic Mitch.

Ladybugs are fragile and—you know I’m gonna say it, just relax—so is Mitch. There’s no debating that the dude is strong as an ox. He also missed about 40% of his regular season games. Out of 656 regular season contests, he played 397. Why? His medical chart reads like the index of Gray’s Anatomy: ankles, feet, hand, thumb, pinky, hamstrings, illnesses, surgeries. The guy’s had roughly as many injuries as Johnny Knoxville without being shot out of a cannon (that we know of). Perhaps you can guess why Leon Rose & Co. were reluctant to match the offer Brad Stevens laid out?

Beyond the money, his leaving is probably about pride, too. Before Karl-Anthony Towns arrived, Mitch was the starting center for the Knicks. In Boston, he’ll start again. That must flatter the ego. The question is, how many minutes per game can he give the Celts? 

As a reserve last season, Mitch averaged under 20 minutes of play over 60 regular season contests. He fell to 13.9 minutes per game in the 2026 playoffs, across 18 games. His career high for games played in a season is 66 (his rookie year) and he’ll celebrate his 29th birthday in April. Sports medicine has made remarkable strides, but it has yet to cure aging.

The nostalgic narrative about Robinson will benefit from him leaving with a championship ring. Good feelings about the Knicks are flowing through the five boroughs and out across the land. Everyone wants to keep the band together. If he had departed after an early playoff exit, the sentiment would surely have a more “he quit on us” vibe.

What did he owe us anyway? That’s a weird thing about sports. Fans view players as commodities and expect some degree of loyalty. Most athletes are mercenaries for hire, balancing families, careers, and the cold certainty they’ll be out of the league quicker than Isaiah Thomas (the son) if they suffer a complicated injury. When Boston showed up with two wheelbarrows of money, you can’t blame Mitch for pulling out his pen.

What will the ecosystem of the New York Knicks be without him? Well, what would the world be like without ladybugs?

Primarily, ladybugs serve as natural controllers of aphids and other soft-bodied plant pests, and according to smart people with clipboards, their extinction would cause noticeable disruptions. Without them, aphid populations would surge rapidly, leading to increased damage to plants, crops, gardens, and forests (aphids suck sap, transmit plant viruses, cause wilting, stunted growth, and mold). That means higher economic losses in agriculture and potentially more chemical pesticides. Blech.

Extract one important piece out of an ecosystem and the whole thing can start misbehaving. Nobody notices ladybugs until the aphids arrive. Nobody notices offensive rebounds until they’re all going to the other team. How essential was Mitch, his energy, rebounding, and personality to the Knicks as a whole? We’re about to find out. 

(Fun Fact: A visit from a ladybug is often considered good luck in many cultures around the world. I’d bet a visit from Mitch would be pretty cool, too.)

Good luck, big fella, and thanks for all the fish.

Knicks in five.