Mitchell Robinson Hyped by Mazzulla After Celtics Signed Knicks Star to Contract After NBA Title Win

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is enthusiastic about what center Mitchell Robinson will bring to the table after signing with the team.

The Celtics still have some holdovers from their championship-winning squad in 2024, but Mazzulla believes Robinson's run with the New York Knicks in the 2026 Finals will be beneficial to the organization.

"So, we can leverage the experience that he had in the current moment of like, 'Hey, what worked for you guys? How can we learn from little stuff that you did?'" he told The Athletic's Jay King.

Mazzulla elaborated how he came to appreciate Robinson's game during head-to-head matchups with New York.

"I think his defense is underrated as well," he said. "If you look at his ability to defend different types of (centers). Even two years ago (in that 2025 playoff series), they were very comfortable putting him on (Kristaps Porziņģis) and recovering back to his pops for his size. So, everyone's going to talk about the offensive rebounding, but his defensive versatility and his pick-and-roll defense is good. And we'll be able to go to some different tactics because of that.

"So, it's not just the offense, but again, it's both. I'm excited about the skill, but I'm excited about the freshness of winning; it's very fresh in your mind, and you have a taste of that. So, how can you help us have an understanding of what that looked like from your perspective?"

Center was one of Boston's biggest positional needs heading into the offseason, and Robinson was one of the best big men the team could realistically sign. He averaged 14.3 points and a whopping 22.2 rebounds per 36 minutes in 2025-26, according to Basketball Reference. When he's healthy and on the court, he's very good.

The terms of Robinson's contract are what raised some eyebrows.

The Celtics are spending $15.8 million annually on a center who logged fewer than 20 minutes per game the last two years and has battled injuries throughout his career.

Robinson possesses a lot of what Boston lacked in the frontcourt, particularly in terms of rebounding. This move wasn't without a level of risk, though, because injuries and his struggles from the charity stripe — 50.8 percent on free throws — could limit his value and effectiveness in the years ahead.