Mitchell Robinson isn’t hiding the way he feels about what’s coming next.
In a recent Snapchat post, the new Boston Celtics big man said he’s in a strong place mentally and expects next season to be a big one for him.
“Right now, I’m just so confident in myself,” Robinson said. "...
I am extremely confident right now, and I feel like this is going to be a great year for me. As you can see, I’m starting to take recovery a lot more seriously.”
That kind of talk might sound bold, but Celtics fans have plenty of reason to lean in rather than roll their eyes. Robinson may not have been the splashy All-Star addition some hoped for this offseason, yet he still looks like a clean fit for what Boston needs.
The appeal starts with the role. Robinson is expected to slide into the same backup big man job he just handled for a championship-winning team, and that alone gives Boston a player who knows how to survive in meaningful games. He also finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Just as important, he checks off several boxes the Celtics were clearly looking to address. He’s a career 70.2% shooter and was the league leader at 74.2% in 2019-20.
Last season, he shot 72.3%, which was the third-best mark of his career. Around the rim, he’s a force.
On defense, he brings the kind of physical presence Boston can use. At 240 pounds and listed as a legit seven-footer, he gives them real size.
And when it comes to setting screens, he’s exactly the kind of immovable body that can make life easier for everyone around him.
There’s also the fit with Neemias Queta, and that part is easy to see. Queta is still a player worth investing in, and the Celtics signing him to a new deal this summer says plenty about how they view his development. He should still start next season, because getting him into that role again gives him the best chance to keep growing.
But Queta’s weaknesses were exposed in the playoffs. Bigger, stronger centers gave him trouble defensively - Joel Embiid in particular had his way with him in their first-round matchup - and while Queta can set a screen and score some easy points, neither area is fully reliable yet. He shot 65.3% from the field, but even his open layups can feel like a coin flip.
That’s where Robinson changes the picture. He should help Boston in exactly those spots, and the idea of the two of them sharing the center room is especially interesting because their skill sets line up so well.
So if Robinson says he’s in for a great year, there’s not much reason for Celtics fans to push back. He sounds ready, he’s in a role that suits him, and Boston will need him if it wants to make a legitimate playoff run next season.
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Browns trade naturally brought questions about whether the relationship between the two stars had been strained by the business side of the league, but Tatum leaned the other way. He framed it as part of basketballs realities, said he wished Brown well, and left the door open to the idea that what they accomplished in Boston still carries real weight even as both move on to different chapters. [Read more 🡒]