Given how much attention head coach Joe Mazzulla had the Boston Celtics paying Mitchell Robinson when he played for the New York Knicks, it probably should not surprise us that the Rhode Island native has been very aware of how the champion center can impact the outcome of a game with his presence on the boards. "I'd say two, three years ago," said Mazzulla after the first training camp practice of the year on when he realized Robinson was one of the best big men in the NBA (via CLNS Media). "His ability to be versatile on both ends of the floor."
"And then we played again – we play them five, six times every single year – so you get a lot of good reps at seeing him." he added. "And there's coaches, there's players, there's situations that always
give you problems that you have to really look to tweak, to be able to take advantage of them, and he was one of those guys that it was very difficult for us to find advantages in certain situations."
"So (I've) just always had a lot of respect for his game, and thinks he makes the team better," said the Celtics coach.
Robinson, or course, along with Mike Conley joined the team in free agency, and Paul George via the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. Yet Mazzulla shared he doesn't feel like there's anything he doesn't know about this incoming iteration of the team that can't be worked out on the court. "I think we have highly competitive guys, high character guys, guys that want to work," he said.
"It's been consistent throughout the Celtics for a long time, so I think that stuff will more come when we hit the season, when we go through different streaks – good and bad – continuing to learn about each other and the identity that we need to take on as a team throughout the season."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Despite new faces, Joe Mazzulla comfortable forging Boston Celtics identity on court
