The Celtics didn’t exactly come out swinging when free agency opened Tuesday, but they wasted no time making noise by Wednesday morning. Boston added Mike Conley on a veteran minimum deal, then landed the bigger prize: Mitchell Robinson on a three-year, $47.4 million contract, prying him away from the Knicks.
For Boston, this is the kind of move that changes the look of the roster in a hurry. Robinson was the top center still available, and the Celtics used their mid-level exception to get him. Just as important, they took a major piece away from the champs.
Robinson gives the Celtics exactly what they’ve been missing in the middle: size, rim protection, rebounding and a body who can do the dirty work without needing touches. He fits next to Neemias Queta, and together they give Boston a chance to have a true interior anchor on the floor for all 48 minutes. Robinson can set screens, roll hard to the rim and clean up misses on the offensive glass.
That last part matters a lot for a Joe Mazzulla team. The offense may be built around threes, but the real engine is pace, space and squeezing out every possession possible.
Robinson helps there in a big way. He’s a monster on the glass and a force as a screener, and his rim-running creates the kind of pressure Boston wants.
The Celtics have also seen plenty of him over the years, and Mazzulla’s staff clearly knew the challenge he presents. They spent time fouling him to try to keep him off the floor, which says plenty about how they viewed him as an opposing big.
The shooting is still a question, but Boston isn’t asking him to stretch the floor. His job is simpler than that: finish around the basket, rebound everything in sight and punish teams that lose track of him. If opponents want to try hack-a-Mitch, Boston will have to be ready for it, but the Celtics still have Queta and Luka Garza on the roster if they need to rotate through options.
In effect, Boston has swapped out Nikola Vucevic, who struggled defensively and never really clicked, for a far more disruptive presence on the back line.
The Celtics entered the offseason needing help at guard and center, and they’ve now addressed both spots. Conley gives them another ballhandler, even if it remains to be seen how much he has left. Robinson, meanwhile, is 28 and in his prime.
Last season with the Knicks, he averaged 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 offensive rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while coming off the bench and playing fewer than 20 minutes a night behind Karl-Anthony Towns. In Boston, he could get a slightly longer leash, but he’ll still be part of a committee. He also shot 72% from the field, and the Celtics should have plenty of chances to feed him easy baskets in the pick-and-roll and on putbacks.
Boston didn’t have the flexibility to chase a center with major assets, so this was the kind of opportunity they had to seize. In the market they were working with, it’s a major win for Brad Stevens and the Celtics - and a clear hit to one of their top Eastern Conference rivals.
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For Celtics fans, the appeal is obvious and the price tag is the part that can make you wince. Duren has been linked to a few different suitors as frustration builds in Detroit, and any real pursuit would require careful salary balancing and a willingness to part with serious talent, all while the Pistons still hold the power to keep him. The idea is intriguing enough to follow, but for now it remains one of those playoff-caliber name watches that could go nowhere fast if Detroit decides to simply shut the whole thing down. [Read more 🡒]