The Celtics had a slow Tuesday to start free agency, but things picked up on Wednesday morning as the team signed Mike Conley to a vet minimum deal, then made a huge splash, signing Mitchell Robinson away from the Knicks to a three-year, $47.4 million deal.
This is a huge get for Boston with their mid-level exception, signing the best center left on the market, and taking away a key piece from the champs in the process. Robinson is an elite rim protector and rebounder who shot slot in perfectly with Neemias Queta, giving the Celtics 48 minutes a game with a dominant anchor at the back line of the defense who can set screens, rim-run, and clean up the offensive glass.
Robinson is an elite rebounder and will help win possession battle
Many people think that Joe Mazzulla’s scheme revolves around jacking up three-pointers, and while the threes are obviously a big part of the game, it’s about pace, space, and possession-maxing. Robinson is a monster rebounder and screener with gravity rolling to the rim. He'll fit like a glove.
The Celtics have seen what he can do firsthand over the years, and Mazzulla made it perfectly clear how his staff felt about Mitch, constantly fouling him to get him off the floor as much as possible. His shooting is obviously a concern, but he knows his role and won’t be jacking up shots from outside the paint.
If teams want to turn to the hack-a-Mitch, so be it. Boston needs to be ready for it. But they still have Queta and Luka Garza in the fold. With this move, the Celtics basically replaced Nikola Vucevic, a sieve on defense who never clicked, with a dominant down-low threat in Robinson.
Celtics have solved their center position
All the Jaylen Brown chatter aside, the Celtics’ biggest needs were another guard and another big man, and they’ve already attacked both areas. We’ll see how much Conley has left to give, but it’ll be nice to have another competent ballhandler on the roster. Robinson is 28 years old and squarely in his prime, coming off a season with the Knicks in which he averaged 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 offensive rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while coming off the bench and playing under 20 minutes a night behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
He may have a bit of a longer leash in Boston, but he’ll definitely still be part of a committee. Robinson also shot 72% from the field last year, and he should feast on easy buckets in the pick and roll and cleaning up offensive boards. The Celtics were limited in what they could spend and didn’t want to burn major assets on a center.
Given the market and what was available, this move is an absolute slam dunk for Brad Stevens and the Celtics. Their center room has improved tenfold, and they’ve weakened their main competition in the Eastern Conference.
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