In the moment, the Celtics’ signing of Mitchell Robinson was largely overshadowed by the Jaylen Brown trade that occurred a few hours later. But once the dust settled, Mitch was received with positive reviews from almost all fans. If there was any real concern over the signing, it had to do with Robinson’s durability.
Mitch hasn’t played in more than 60 games since the 2021-22 season, and in the two seasons before his title run with the Knicks last year, he appeared in just 17 and 31 games. Injuries have been a major concern, and New York closely monitored his body and managed his minutes last season in an attempt to keep him healthy for the playoffs.
He managed to play in 60 games and made it through a long playoff run, but he played under 20 minutes per game and sat out back-to-backs. It was successful in that he survived the long gauntlet of the season, but they obviously didn’t come close to maximizing Robinson’s potential.
Robinson insists he'll play in B2Bs for the Celtics
But now that he’s in Boston, Robinson is singing a different tune and saying things are going to be different. On a recent appearance on Knicks Fan TV, Mitch was asked about the strict regimen in New York, about managing his body and sitting out back-to-backs, and whether things would be the same in Boston, and he quickly shook off that notion.
“Oh, nah, uh-uh, it ain’t going to be the same in Boston. I’ll be able to play back-to-backs and stuff like that. So, I’m very excited for that; it’s been a long time coming. Now I can go out there and play basketball and not have to worry about not playing this game. Just go out there with a free mind and just hoop."
On the one hand, this is extremely exciting to hear. Robinson clearly feels great about his body and his health and is excited about showing that he can handle a full workload, which would make the three-year mid-level exception signing even better.
On the other hand, it’s fair to say the Knicks knew what they were doing and were managing his minutes for a reason. It doesn’t sound like he was thrilled about it, but they were clearly protecting him from himself, and the results speak for themselves, as he had one of the best and healthiest seasons of his career, finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and helped bring the Knicks a championship.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely high on the signing, and I’m thrilled to hear how confident he is, but I’m taking this quote with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, I trust the Celtics medical staff and believe they’ll do what’s best.
Celtics may be best to borrow load-management strategy from Knicks
However, I’m not sure I think that will be what Robinson is suggesting. And honestly, I’m not sure that’s best for the team. Boston has another great center in Neemias Queta, a good backup in Luka Garza, and solid young options in Amari Williams and Chris Cenac Jr.
This team is focused on winning a championship, and racking up wins in the regular season, frankly, isn’t much of a concern. They were able to do it without Mitch last year, and they should be able to do it again this season. What’s important is that he’s fully healthy for the playoffs. Maybe that means playing more games and ramping up his minutes in the regular season, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Either way, it’s a positive sign that he’s feeling good and ready to get to work. He seems thrilled about playing for the Celtics, and it sounds like he’s very confident in his ability to be out there and handle plenty of work.
Add us as a preferred source on Google