Mitchell Robinson Explains His Expanded Role in Celtics' Offense Compared to Knicks Tenure

Entering his first season with the Boston Celtics after spending eight years with the New York Knicks, Mitchell Robinson is excited about having an expanded role in the offense.

Following the Celtics' preseason win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Robinson told reporters head coach Joe Mazzulla is giving him an opportunity to show more on the offensive end of the court.

"I'm in a lot of actions on the offensive side," Robinson said. "Over there, I was just like, set one screen, roll, and they'll be going on the other side, and then maybe come back. But like, this one, I'm in like every action. I'm setting the flare, pin down, ball screen, whatever. Like I'm just always actively moving."

Hornets-Celtics Highlights

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Robinson scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds (three offensive) and blocked three shots in 17 minutes against the Hornets.

The Celtics signed Robinson away from New York by giving him a three-year, $47 million contract in free agency. In his eight seasons with the Knicks, he was one of the most impactful centers in the NBA on a per-minute basis.

Robinson has averaged more than 4.0 offensive rebounds per game in four of the last five seasons. The concern, though, is staying healthy for a full season. He has only played more than 60 games once in the last six seasons.

Even when Robinson did play, the Knicks often kept him on a minutes limit. The 28-year-old averaged fewer than 25 minutes per game in each of the last three seasons, including 19.0 minutes per contest over the past two seasons.

Robinson hinted at times during his tenure with the Knicks that he wasn't always happy with how they managed him. After joining the Celtics, he said he no longer has "to worry about not playing this game" in reference to New York often holding him out for both ends of a back-to-back.

There is a downside to this strategy for the Celtics because Robinson has had injury issues throughout his career, so having him more active would seem to increase his chances of getting injured.

If Robinson does stay healthy, though, his impact as an offensive player simply because of his rebounding could be a difference-maker for the Celtics as they look to catch the defending champion Knicks in the Eastern Conference this season.

Boston has one more preseason game on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics will tipoff the regular season against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 20.