Mitchell Robinson teases new offensive role with Boston Celtics

He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in 17 minutes of preseason action. But if you ask Robinson, the best is yet to come.

Particularly on offense, where he stressed he’ll have a different role than he played in New York:

“I’m in a lot of actions on the offensive side,” Robinson told reporters after the Oct. 14 win. “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.”

It’s true, Robinson looked more involved on offense in his preseason debut, even if only slightly. But how much of that is exploration by head coach Joe Mazzulla?

And how much of this is a result of him being healthy and rested?

Robinson’s career with the Knicks, which ended this summer in free agency, was plagued by injuries. He appeared in just 397 of 646 possible regular-season games, meaning he was available just 61% of the time.

So if there are misgivings on Robinson’s end about his role on offense, it’s safe to place some of the blame on his availability; consistently implementing actions contingent on the big fella being on the floor would have been negligent to Mike Brown’s craftsmanship as an offensive coach.

But the past is the past. And we’re in the present. Time will tell the story of New York’s gamble, letting Robinson go. One preseason game does not.