It literally took one half of regular season action for Boston to experience the kind of fear the New York Knicks consistently lived in for eight years with Mitchell Robinson.
Early on in the second quarter of the Celtics' season-opening loss to Detroit, the big man collapsed to the ground in agony after rolling his left ankle on a rebound attempt.
After a minute of reeling, Robinson managed to get to his feet and limp off the court with help from the training staff, leaving C's fans and pundits wondering whether their newly inked pivot would be shut down for the remainder of the day.
To much delight, he would return to the floor and finish out his debut in green with four points, three rebounds, and three stocks in 18 minutes. However, after initially sustaining the injury, Robinson played more cautiously and was often seen grimacing and limping for the remainder of Boston's 120-113 loss to Detroit.
While Robinson may have been banking on the Celtics taking a less restrictive approach to his minutes than the one the Knicks abided by throughout his tenure in New York, based on how he recovers from opening day, these hopes could soon be dashed.
Knicks know far too much about Mitchell Robinson's health woes
During his eight-year stint in the Big Apple, Robinson racked up a rather extensive list of injuries.
From hand fractures to several ankle surgeries, the big man's body has gone through quite a beating throughout his pro career.
These ailments have also cost him substantial playing time, as he's played in fewer than 65 games in six of his seasons in the association and, over a two-year span from 2023 through 2025, was only able to suit up for a horrifyingly low total of 48 games.
As a result of these hardships, in his first season running the show as head coach, Mike Brown opted to hone in on load management for Robinson, limiting his minutes to less than 20.0 per game and holding him out from playing on both nights of a back-to-back.
The results of this approach clearly proved mightily successful, as Robinson not only played in 60 games for just the fourth time in his career, but also stayed healthy enough to play a pivotal role in the Knicks winning their first NBA Championship in 53 years.
It goes without saying that Robinson is an ace contributor when he's available. Unfortunately, as he's proven time and again over the years, he's struggled mightily in the availability department.
Last season, coach Brown found a way to keep him fresh and ready for a deep and physically imposing title run. Boston should look to follow in the Knicks' load management footsteps, especially after seeing their $47.3 million man go down in just his first regular season game.
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