There were plenty of disappointments to pick from in the Boston Celtics‘ NBA opening day loss to the Pistons in Detroit on Tuesday, and it’s probably fair to point out all of them: Jayson Tatum had no answers, Payton Pritchard struggled to get shots, the defense let down after building a 22-point lead, and Joe Mazzulla put forth an odd rotation with Jordan Walsh and others. But based on both long-term history and short-term history, the biggest disappointment of the day was new center Mitchell Robinson.
Robinson was targeted by the Celtics in free agency because of his superior rebounding ability, especially on the offensive glass. Robinson has averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds in his career, and has four seasons in which he has averaged at least 4.0 offensive boards, including 2022-23, when he led the league with 4.5, and last year, when he averaged 4.2.
Mitchell Robinson, Celtics Struggled on Glass in Opener
But in 18.0 minutes as the Celtics starting center, Robinson had just three total rebounds, and one offensive rebound. He finished with four points on the game, too, and added two blocked shots. The Celtics and Robinson, though, had been bullying teams on the offensive glass all through preseason. That did not happen once the real games began.
Robinson knows it. And was not happy with himself in his debut.
He told reporter Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe: “I got my ass kicked on the glass. I can’t have no starts like that. It’s cool to get out there and put on that Boston jersey for the first time in a regular-season game, but overall, I still didn’t do what I needed to do. I gotta compete better. I feel like I didn’t compete at a high level that I normally do and I was kind of slow on a lot of things.”
Washburn also pointed out that Robinson had a slight ankle injury–a big red flag for a guy whose career has been defined by ankle injuries–but noted Robinson said, “He’ll be OK.”
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