BOSTON — The relationship between Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and first-year Celtic Mitchell Robinson could've gotten off to a rocky start. A little more than a year ago, Mazzulla had his players intentionally foul Robinson (who was then a member of the New York Knicks) in order to put him on the line during the playoffs. Mazzulla was betting against Robinson's shooting ability, but, more importantly, he was desperate to get him off the court because he knew the shot-blocking center would continue to wreak havoc against the C's.
The Knicks ended up winning that second-round series in 2025 before going on to win it all in 2026. That could've created some more bad blood between Mazzulla and Robinson, yet a quick connection in Boston
seems to have made all of that history irrelevant.
I asked Mitchell Robinson about his relationship with Joe Mazzulla and how his confidence in him has helped:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) September 28, 2026
“That's been great. And he came down to Nashville this summer…and I really appreciate that, and I felt that connection.”
“But then, just like overall, you see us as… pic.twitter.com/ru5vuXefvj
"It's been great," Robinson described of his relationship with Mazzulla on Monday morning. "He came down to Nashville this summer to come see me, and I really appreciate that, and I felt that connection."
Robinson resides in Nashville and it meant a lot to him that his new head coach would head down south to meet him where he was, despite the fact that Robinson signed with the C's less than three months ago.
"He sees us as people instead of just players, and that alone is just unbelievable," Robinson told Celtics Wire. "And, hopefully, (we) just continue to grow, get to know each other a little bit better."
Although the former Knick has experienced a fair amount of injury issues over the course of his eight seasons in the NBA, Robinson was a game-changer for New York when healthy. The 7-footer protects the paint, finishes alley-oops, and crashes the glass — which Mazzulla especially appreciates.
"Mitch is one of the best bigs in the league and is super efficient," Mazzulla said to start his Media Day presser. "I think he's going to be impactful for us and also help (centers) Luka (Garza) and Neemias (Queta). His experience, and obviously coming off a championship, we can learn a lot from him."
At 28 years old and with a championship ring on his finger, Robinson has accomplished enough to start for the Celtics. However, center Neemias Queta just put together a solid season as Boston's starting big man, making the decision over who joins the first five a toss-up.
Robinson shelved that potential controversy, too.
"It doesn't matter," he stated. "Whatever happens, it is what it is. I'm still going to play hard and do what I do best."
Mitchell Robinson said he was immediately impressed by the chemistry he’s seen from the Celtics.
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) September 28, 2026
He also said he wouldn’t mind starting or coming off the bench. pic.twitter.com/WW9nYdRkdk
Alongside first-year Celtics Paul George and Mike Conley, Robinson is the new guy on the team. In fact, he's never played for another franchise outside of the rival Knicks. This doesn't concern him, though.
Instead of being intimated by his new home, he's been impressed. And he's eager to join in on the fun.
"When I first got here, the connection that they already have, I'm just like, 'Damn, this is crazy," Robinson said of his Celtics teammates. "The chemistry they already got and stuff like that — I just want to add what I did in New York. The dirty work, the grit and grind. So, I'm just ready to go."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mitchell Robinson speaks on connection with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla
