Boston Celtics fans have already started sounding the alarm on Mitchell Robinson, but it’s far too soon to treat his slow start like a real crisis.
Yes, the early line isn’t pretty. Through four games as a starter, Robinson has averaged 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.5 minutes. He has looked slower than usual, he’s getting beaten on the glass more often than Boston would like, and his shaky free-throw shooting nearly burned the Celtics in their Oct. 27 game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Still, the bigger picture is less alarming than the reaction around him.
Robinson is adjusting to a new team and a new system, and this is his first year as a full-time starter in a few seasons. He’s also dealing with an ankle injury, and even if he’s on a different roster now, the championship hangover may still be part of the equation. That all adds up to a player who needs time to settle in, not one who should be written off.
His Celtics debut did little to calm nerves. He finished with four points, three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes, and he had trouble defensively against Jalen Duren.
But since then, Robinson has looked more like himself. Over his next stretch, he averaged 6 points and 5.3 rebounds, and his defense and physicality have started to improve.
Half of his rebounds have come on the offensive end, which is exactly where Boston can use him most.
The scoring has stayed modest, but that was never the point. Robinson was never expected to threaten double figures every night, and he has actually been highly efficient so far. He’s shooting 76.9% from the field this season, going 10-for-13 overall in four games.
That doesn’t mean he has been great. He hasn’t dominated the boards the way many expected, and there’s at least a real conversation to be had about whether Neemias Queta should be back in the starting lineup at center.
But panic is still the wrong move here. Robinson’s track record matters.
He is one of the greatest offensive rebounders the NBA has ever seen, and just a few months ago he played a major role in the New York Knicks’ championship victory. That kind of player doesn’t simply vanish overnight.
The Celtics need more from him, and soon. But patience makes the most sense right now. This probably is the roughest version of Robinson Boston will see all season, and if he gets anywhere close to what he was for the Knicks last year, the Celtics will have a very useful piece on their hands.
In Other News...
Joe Mazzulla Just Drew A Line Around Bostons Biggest Priority
Joe Mazzulla used a recent radio appearance to make the Celtics priorities pretty clear: the conversation in Boston is about the group in front of them, not the baggage from the past. Asked about former player Jaylen Brown, Mazzulla acknowledged what Brown meant to the franchise, but he kept steering the focus back to the current roster, the trust being built inside the room and the identity Boston is trying to shape early in the season.
It is a familiar kind of boundary-setting from a coach who knows how quickly outside storylines can pull attention away from the work at hand. Boston has opened 3-1 and is trying to turn that start into something more durable, which makes Mazzullas message feel less like a deflection than a reminder that the Celtics would rather define themselves by what they are building now than by what they have already moved past. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Face A Costly Decision On Trey Murphy III
Trey Murphy III keeps surfacing as the kind of name that can tempt a contender looking for another long-term wing, and Boston fits that description better than most. The Celtics have had interest in Murphy before, and after adding draft capital in the Jaylen Brown trade, they at least have the kind of assets that make a conversation possible if they choose to revisit the idea.
The catch is that the Pelicans are not treating Murphy like a bargain-bin target, and that is where the real dilemma starts for Boston. With the trade deadline approaching, the Celtics can dream about what Murphy would add to their roster, but there is still a wide gap between curiosity and commitment, and no indication yet that they are actually pushing to close it. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Need More From Mitchell Robinson Than Theyre Getting Right Now
Mitchell Robinsons first season in Boston has not gotten off to the kind of start the Celtics envisioned, and the early returns have shown why the adjustment period matters. The big man is still working his way into the system and back toward full conditioning, while the team has not yet seen the kind of two-way impact it expects from him.
Inside the organization, there is still belief that the production will come as Robinson gets more comfortable and his legs come back. Robinson has been open about his underwhelming start and is motivated to turn it around, which leaves the Celtics in a familiar holding pattern for now: waiting on a player they believe can help, even if the immediate results have not matched the long-term optimism. [Read more 🡒]