The Celtics didn’t just add size this month. They added a player who has spent years making life miserable for them.
Mitchell Robinson’s move to Boston on a three-year, $47.1 million deal gives the Celtics a new look in the frontcourt and, just as importantly, removes one of the most annoying opponents they’ve had to deal with. Robinson has long been a problem on the glass and at the rim, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla knows it firsthand.
“I mean, obviously, with Mitch's ability to protect the rim, his ability to rebound on both ends of the floor, his ability to change the game,” Mazzulla told reporters of what he’s most looking forward to with the addition of Robinson. “We all know part of our game plan was to try and get him off the floor as much as we could because of how effective that he was. He'll bring in something different.”
That’s the kind of player Boston just brought in. Robinson was a major piece in New York’s NBA Championship run this spring, and his value has always been obvious: rim protection, relentless offensive rebounding, and the kind of physical presence that forces opponents to adjust. Against Boston since 2024, he averaged 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game over 14 appearances.
The Celtics have also seen enough of him to know exactly how disruptive he can be. Mazzulla even leaned on the “Hack-a-Mitch” approach in an effort to exploit Robinson’s shaky free-throw shooting and keep him off the floor.
Derrick White echoed that sentiment during the third quarter of Friday’s Celtics win at Summer League.
“Yeah, I mean Mitch has been a pain to go against for us for many years now,” White explained. “So it's great having him on our team and someone that is one of the best rebounders in the league, and obviously a great defender as well. So it's going to be great having him with us.”
Boston’s interest in Robinson also makes plenty of sense on the numbers. He averaged 4.2 offensive rebounds per game last season, and the Celtics already ranked fifth in the league in second-chance scoring at 16.9 per game. Add Robinson to that mix, and the Celtics have another way to squeeze extra possessions out of their offense.
The move also deepens a center group that now has real money tied into it. Boston signed Neemias Queta to a four-year, $56 million extension last week, and the Portuguese big man doesn’t sound threatened by the competition.
Queta said he’s welcoming the challenge and expects the two centers to push each other.
“A lot of boxing out at practice,” Queta told reporters in Las Vegas on Friday. “We're going to both crash a lot.
We're going to teach each other a little bit of what we do best, and I'll just be positive. I've heard he's a really positive guy and a really fun guy to be around, and I can't wait to do that.”
As for who starts, Queta said that’s Mazzulla’s call. The expectation is that Queta could keep the starting job, though it would also make sense for Boston to use Robinson in that role so it can get the most out of his minutes before opponents can intentionally foul the career 50.8% free-throw shooter.
Queta says none of that changes his approach.
“Yeah, I love good bigs to play with,” he added. “I love the competition that we may have, but at the end of the day, it's just basketball.
Whoever plays, whoever doesn't play, we're really just -- I'm speaking for myself for sure, I haven't met him yet -- but I know for sure we're striving for greatness and getting the team the wins that we want. That's what matters at the end of the day, and we don't want to worry -- Well, I don't want to focus on anything else.”
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