Mitchell Robinson seemed destined to miss Sunday night’s Celtics-Bucks matchup before the team upgraded him to active just hours before tipoff in Milwaukee. The 28-year-old, who had been struggling to find his footing in his first year with Boston, instead turned a corner.
“It’s tough,” Robinson admitted after Boston’s 117-97 victory over Milwaukee, per CLNS Media. “Been in New York for eight years and year nine I’m in Boston. Totally two different game plays, and it’s something that I’ve gotta learn,
but I feel like it’s going well.”
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla played Robinson off the bench, and he found his rhythm immediately as he checked in for Derrick White with 7:03 left in the first quarter. In his first minute on the floor, Robinson secured a defensive rebound, raced to the other end, grabbed an offensive rebound and cleanly finished the putback layup. Two possessions later, he connected with Jayson Tatum for an alley-oop dunk, something the two had struggled to execute for the past few weeks.
“We’re working on it,” Robinson acknowledged, laughing. “JT be throwing it to the moon sometimes. But we’re working on it.”
Robinson’s toughness engine kicked in, as did a side of him the Celtics hadn’t seen through his first eight appearances. In the final minute of the first quarter, he recorded two steals — before setting a season-high with four — and two more rebounds. He went on to finish a perfect 6-for-6 from the field with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block in just over 18 minutes.
For the first time all season, Robinson finally looked like Big Mitch.
Inside the locker room, he had plenty of support from those thrilled for his breakthrough.
“A great bounceback game for Big Mitch,” Paul George told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “I thought he was amazing with his effort, his energy, keeping balls alive, screening. I thought he was vocal out here. He was a presence at the rim. Everything that he does well, he put it on display here, and he made a big impact.”
Robinson had been frustrated and brutally honest with himself since joining the Celtics — traits Mazzulla has openly commended him for. He had been struggling to produce offensively, as his six field goal makes also set a new season-high in Milwaukee, giving Robinson plenty to build on moving forward.
Everyone around him understands the challenge that comes with a player in his situation, acclimating himself to a new system while playing alongside an entirely new group of teammates. But rest assured, he has plenty of support from those in Boston who believe in him and will continue pulling for him.
“It’s a learning curve,” Tatum told reporters. “New system, new teammates. Taking more ownership, just understanding that we really want him involved in things we’re doing, especially on the offensive end. So [he’s] just kind of getting comfortable in that role.”
It’s easy to nitpick the missed shot attempts or the misfired free throws, but Mazzulla doesn’t dissect Robinson’s performances that simply. He pays attention to the little details that add up, and based on his observations, he’s not the least bit concerned about Robinson’s ability to adapt to what the Celtics need from him.
Watching Robinson closely, Mazzulla has noticed his progress.
“A lot of times, he’s picking things up on his own,” Mazzulla told reporters. “Instead of me talking to him in games, he’s seeing things. He’s seeing the timing of screening. He’s seeing the timing of the rolls. He’s seeing the timing of screening, he’s seeing the timing of rolls, he’s seeing the timing of the angles he needs to set, he’s seeing the reads that we’re trying to run in our early offense, he’s seeing the defensive communication.”
Even though the Celtics understand Robinson is still adjusting, Mazzulla made it clear that he and Neemias Queta are integral to Boston’s success, capable of elevating the team to another level.
“Those two guys are the anchor of what we do on both ends,” Mazzulla added, “and when they play with the personality and the communication, it just makes our team different.”
Even as Robinson continues to hold himself accountable whenever he feels he’s underachieving, the Celtics will be right there alongside him, pushing him to meet the standard they’re both aware he’s capable of meeting.
