Mitchell Robinson got a big opportunity early in this season, his first with the Boston Celtics.
On Friday night, they’re hosting his former team, the New York Knicks. It’s what some might call a “revenge game.”
The Knicks didn’t want to pay Robinson in the offseason and go over the second apron, so he sought out a new opportunity elsewhere.
It happened to be on the other half of the New York-Boston rivalry.
But in the early going, Robinson is only seeing a bit of playing time.
He is starting at center for the Celtics, but he comes out of the game often, both in Wednesday’s opener against the Pistons and in Friday’s matchup with the Knicks.
Just in the first quarter on Friday, Robinson had already been subbed for by Neemias Queta, and then Queta sat for Luka Garza.
It wasn’t a big workload for Robinson.
Why Isn’t Mitchell Robinson Playing More?
It sure seems like the Celtics’ coaching staff simply wants to see what their lineup looks like with each player at center while not overworking any of them.
That has resulted in Robinson sitting more than some might’ve expected.
Robinson played 18 minutes in the season-opening loss to the Pistons. Queta played 22, and Garza added 8 minutes.
That adds up to the 48 center minutes, although it’s worth noting that Queta and Robinson did very briefly share the floor together, where Queta would nominally be the power forward. That’s not a lineup that’s likely to happen very often.
Robinson was never a huge minutes player with the Knicks, but rather a guy who Tom Thibodeau and then Mike Brown put in for short bursts to do his offensive rebound routine. He expends a lot of energy in short periods of time.
That seems to be how the Celtics are using Robinson, at least early on.
Is Mitchell Robinson Hurt?
Robinson did sustain an injury in the season opener on Wednesday.
Battling for a rebound, his left ankle rolled when he landed on a Pistons player. He stayed down behind the play.
The Celtics used a timeout, and Robinson came back in. He limped around a bit, and it’s not clear that might have impacted his playing time, but he kept subbing back in for short stints.
Robinson didn’t miss his matchup with his former team on Friday, so he must not be hurting too bad, but maybe the ankle is just a bit sore.
Why Mitchell Robinson Isn’t Playing More as Neemias Queta, Luka Garza Get in Game