Remember Mitchell Robinson? The center who helped the New York Knicks win their first championship five months ago? Well, apparently he tricked the Celtics into signing him to a three-year, $47 million deal.
Boston is off to a 5-2 start, but that doesn't mean things are going well for Robinson. Adjusting to a new system in a new environment takes time. Things were never going to click in the first two weeks, but because it's gone so poorly, fans are already over the Mitch experience (as of Nov. 2).
I need Mitchell Robinson off this team before the deadline. Horrible signing.
— ₚₚ ☘️ (@ParquetPapi) November 3, 2026
Mitchell Robinson is in a race to the bottom of my favorite Celtics of all time rankings
— Cousin Larry OB ☘️🏆 (@AndrewDoxy) November 3, 2026
Trade Mitchell Robinson + Hauser at the deadline for a useful player
— Alex (@Alexzachary305) November 3, 2026
They have reason to be disgruntled, though. Robinson started the first five games he played for the Celtics (he didn't play on Sunday against the Magic in the first half of a back-to-back), but on Monday in Houston, he came off the bench, with Neemias Queta taking his place in the starting lineup.
Robinson's performance did nothing to reassure fans that he'd be better (and fresher) off the bench following a night off: he finished with four points, four rebounds (one offensive), four fouls, and two turnovers in 15 minutes, with a team-worst +/- of -16 in the 109-93 loss.
Does that mean it's time to start thinking about a trade? No.
Robinson is off to a rough start, but don't count him out
This season, Robinson is averaging 6.2 points, 4.5 rebounds (1.8 offensive), 1.0 turnover, and 0.7 blocks in 19.3 minutes per game. But those numbers don't tell the full story.
Boston's offensive rating is 98.7 with Mitch on the floor and 124.6 without him; its defensive rating is 117 with him on the floor and 108.6 without him; the net rating is +16 without him. They've been far better with Queta on the floor than with Robinson (their offensive rating with Queta would give them the best offense in the NBA and a top-10 defense).
But here's the thing: the Celtics shouldn't have signed Robinson expecting him to be their primary starter, especially not after watching how the Knicks used him last season. He averaged 19.6 minutes in 60 games and started only 16. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he played 18 of their 19 games and averaged 13.6 minutes per contest.
He doesn't have the motor to average even 24 minutes per game consistently. It's not just a matter of him improving his conditioning, either, though that is a valid concern for Boston fans after watching Robinson's first few games. Knicks fans understand that.
But they also understand how valuable Robinson is. And that value doesn't come from letting him operate farther from the rim, as the Celtics have been doing. That's not an excuse for how he's been playing, but he wasn't the league's best offensive rebounder in New York because he hovered around the perimeter on offense.
Robinson is still figuring it out, and Mazzulla is still figuring him out, too. The season isn't determined by what happens in November. Boston went out and got Mitch for the impact he can provide starting in April.
Unless he's truly a sleeper agent for the Knicks, he could still be the player the Celtics need in... five months, when winning around the margins matters more than ever. And if that's still not good enough, feel free to send him back to New York.
Add us as a preferred source on Google