Mitchell Robinson didn’t hold anything back after his Boston Celtics debut, calling his performance “trash” and taking full ownership for what he saw as a flat start. Less than 48 hours after the Celtics dropped a 121-113 game to the Detroit Pistons, Robinson was crystal clear about his role in the loss, a game where he managed just 4 points, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 turnovers in 18 minutes on the floor. For a guy brought in on a 3-year, $47 million deal, that’s a tough pill to swallow for both him and the team.
A Debut He Wants to Forget, Fast
Robinson’s stat line against the Pistons wasn’t just low, it was glaring for what was missing, especially on the boards. The guy is known as a prolific rebounder, a beast on the glass, but he grabbed only 3 rebounds in that opener, and just one of those came on the offensive end. Yikes. He didn’t mince words, flat out saying, “It’s obviously just my fault. I got to accept that, and obviously be better from here on out. It’s straightforward , my fault.” That’s the kind of blunt honesty you gotta respect, even if the performance was a total letdown. He knows he’s better than that, and he’s not afraid to say he didn’t show it.
He doubled down on his defensive impact, or lack thereof, as a key issue. “We didn’t keep our foot on the gas, and it starts with me,” he stated. “I’m one of the best defensive bigs in this league, and I didn’t show it that night. I got to take ownership of that, I gotta be better.” Look, he twisted an ankle in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game, even hobbling off the floor for a bit before returning. But Robinson straight-up dismissed that as an excuse, saying, “You tweak an ankle, you’re going to feel it a little bit here and there, but shit happens. I just felt like I was playing like trash the whole time anyways. I mean, shit.” That’s the kind of mindset that tells you he expects more from himself than anyone else can.
Focusing on What Matters
Robinson isn’t stressing over points, and frankly, why would he? The Celtics have plenty of scoring firepower. His contract, that $47 million over three years, was for his interior presence and his rebounding. He made it clear those are his priorities every single night. “Once I feel good about that after the game, for me, that’s when I know I did pretty good,” he said. “I really don’t care about stat lines, scoring, we got that over here already. It’s like , what can I do to help my team?” That’s the right attitude for a big man on a stacked roster. He wants to do the dirty work, grab boards, and protect the paint, which is exactly what Boston needs from him.
Even with his frustrations, Coach Joe Mazzulla reached out after the game. Robinson admitted Mazzulla has been tough on him since he arrived, saying, “He’s getting on my ass a lot, which, you know, I need that. But he gets on my ass.” But after this rough outing, Mazzulla switched gears, offering encouragement. “Joe’s a great guy,” Robinson said. “He talked me through a lot of things, especially that night. He sent me text messages and stuff like that, and I appreciate it, but I didn’t even respond to the last text. But I was still stuck in my head about it. Like, I played like ass.” That honesty again! It shows how much this performance is eating at him.
The Celtics clearly need Robinson to be the defensive anchor and rebounding force they paid him to be. He knows it, the coach knows it, and you gotta believe he’s going to come out swinging next time. Boston needs him to shake off this debut and be the “best defensive big” he knows he can be if they’re going to hit their stride early this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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