NBA Roundup: Robinson unfazed by role, Nets bring in Bufkin, Rockets weigh backcourt options
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New York Knicks
Center Mitchell Robinson, entering the final season of his contract worth just under $13 million, said Thursday he has no preference between starting or coming off the bench in 2025-26. “Nah. It don’t matter to me at all,” Robinson told reporters, adding that he has been effective in both roles during his career.
Robinson opened last season as a reserve while returning from ankle surgery but reclaimed the starting job for the final four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. First-year head coach Mike Brown called the 7-footer “a monster on the glass” yet indicated the opening-night lineup remains undecided. “Ideally, it would be great to have everybody’s role defined before the first game,” Brown said.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn acquired guard Kobe Bufkin this offseason despite selecting point-guard prospects Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Head coach Jordi Fernández dismissed concerns about a crowded backcourt. “I don’t think you ever have enough ball-handlers,” he said.
The Nets had been high on Bufkin during the 2023 draft, but the former Michigan standout was taken 15th overall, six spots before Brooklyn chose Noah Clowney. Bufkin’s connection to new Nets assistant Juwan Howard, his college coach, factored into the move. “Everything was very positive between Juwan, who knows him, and our scouting department,” Fernández noted. Bufkin welcomed the reunion, calling Howard “like family.”
Houston Rockets
The Rockets are not rushing to replace injured guard Fred VanVleet, who is out with a torn ACL, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer. Instead, the club plans to expand on-ball duties for Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson and could reconsider adding backcourt depth after December 15, when most newly signed free agents become trade-eligible.
Fischer also reported an ongoing expectation that Kevin Durant will eventually sign an extension with Houston, while forward Tari Eason’s rookie-scale contract situation remains unresolved.
Source: Hoops Wire
