Mitchell Robinson did not sugarcoat his own Celtics debut. After Boston’s season-opening loss to Detroit, the seven-footer was so frustrated that he never sent back Joe Mazzulla’s final text that night.
At the Auerbach Center on Thursday, Robinson said, "I just felt like I was playing like trash the whole time," said Robinson Thursday at the Auerbach Center. "I'm one of the best defensive bigs in the league, and I didn't show it that night."
The stat line from Tuesday’s 121-113 loss to the Pistons was modest: four points, three rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal. But the bigger issue for Boston was the way Robinson was beaten on the glass. He finished with only two defensive rebounds, and Detroit turned six offensive rebounds with him on the floor into 12 second-chance points.
One sequence said plenty. Robinson couldn’t secure a Cade Cunningham miss while battling Jalen Duren, and John Collins finished the possession with a layup after the baseline inbounds. There were other moments, too, when the former Knicks center was a half-step off or not nearly physical enough against Duren, who repeatedly made his presence felt.
That was surprising because Robinson has built his reputation as one of the league’s elite rebounders since entering the NBA. He even had a rare stretch where he boxed out the 2025-26 All-NBA Third Team selection but didn’t drive Duren backward. The ball sailed long, Duren snatched the offensive board, and Isaiah Joe cashed in the second-chance look with a 3.
Another play had Robinson leaving Duren to challenge a mid-range jumper by Joe. He blocked the shot, but Duren tracked down the ball and slammed it home anyway.
Boston also wants more from him on its own offensive glass. Robinson is tied with Dennis Rodman for the second-highest career offensive rebounding rate among players with at least 5,000 career minutes, and that kind of edge is part of why the Celtics brought him in.
The physical tone wasn’t there often enough Tuesday. Robinson, a 28-year-old from Pensacola, Florida, is usually a punishing presence, but Boston wanted more of that edge in his first outing. The screens didn’t consistently bother Detroit defenders, and the Celtics weren’t getting the separation they needed for the player he was screening for.
He also looked like he needed a little more rhythm early. He picked up an illegal screen on the opening possession, then missed on a lob from Derrick White for an alley-oop.
Soon after, he was the nail defender when Cunningham came off a pin down from Duren. Robinson kept Cunningham out of the lane, and White stayed attached to Duncan Robinson in the corner, but Duren slipped behind for a dunk.
It was a difficult read, though Robinson is capable of handling that kind of pick-and-roll responsibility.
By night’s end, Robinson had two screen assists and five points produced from those actions.
Still, there were real positives in the debut. He erased a mid-range shot from Duren, swallowed a Cunningham drive in the third quarter, and showed exactly why Boston values him on offense, too.
On one rim roll, two defenders collapsed and left Derrick White wide open for a 3. Another sequence featured an alley-oop from White out of 77 action, with two on-ball screens helping spring the play.
The Celtics saw the full toolkit in flashes: rim protection, vertical spacing, havoc on the boards, pick-and-roll defense, and deflections that can turn into transition chances. But the team clearly expects more than flashes. Those traits have to become routine during his minutes.
For now, Boston views the rough opener as something Robinson can correct quickly, especially with how hard he took it. Joe Mazzulla said on Thursday, "He's a very important piece to what we do, and so the standard is a little bit higher, and the expectation is a little bit higher. So, I think it just comes with time, understanding that every play, you're at the nucleus of what we're trying to accomplish on both ends of the floor," said Joe Mazzulla on Thursday.
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