Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks' backup center and a key reserve, has broken the pinky finger on his right hand, and his status for the NBA Finals starting next week is unclear, a story broken by James Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic.

There is no word on how Robinson suffered the injury, nor the severity or location of the break.

This is a blow to the solid eight-man rotation Knicks coach Mike Brown has leaned on through the playoffs. Robinson is a high-level rim protector and an offensive rebounder — he averaged 4.2 offensive rebounds a game during the regular season. He was key in that role against the Spurs when the Knicks beat them in the NBA Cup Finals back in December.

While healthy and playing in every game, he has seen his minutes decrease in the last round as the Cavaliers adopted a hack-a-Mitch strategy to get him off the court (he was a 40.8% free-throw shooter this season). Robinson has averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a game off the bench this postseason.

Whether the Knicks face the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama or the Thunder with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, New York will need all the size and physicality they can bring to the front court and if Robinson misses much of the series that is a real blow to New York.