Mitchell Robinson’s first regular-season game in a Celtics uniform ended with a blunt self-review.
Boston’s new center made his debut Monday against the Detroit Pistons, and he didn’t hide his disappointment with how he played, especially when it came to rebounding. Robinson said he needs to bring more energy and compete at a better level if he’s going to give the Celtics what they brought him in to provide.
“I got my ass kicked on the glass. I can’t have no starts like that,” Robinson said, per Gary Washburn.
“It’s cool to get out there and put on that Boston jersey for the first time in a regular-season game, but overall, I still didn’t do what I needed to do. I gotta compete better.
I feel like I didn’t compete at a high level that I normally do and I was kind of slow on a lot of things.”
Robinson also told the Globe that he’ll be OK after tweaking his ankle.
Boston added Robinson to help toughen up the paint, which makes his work on the boards and his physical presence central to his job. He knows that, and his comments made it clear he expects more from himself than what he showed in his first outing.
The Celtics will be counting on Robinson to make a bigger impact as the season goes on, and Monday’s game gave him a first chance to show where he stands. It wasn’t the start he wanted, but it did leave him with a clear target for what comes next.
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