Mitchell Robinson drew the start in his first official game for the Boston Celtics, their season-opener against the Detroit Pistons. In the second quarter of what would be a 121-113 loss, Robinson appeared to tweak his ankle on a battle for a loose ball. After Kevin Huerter missed a corner three, the Celtics center fought on the glass, but received a big bump from Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Robinson clearly twisted his ankle off the hardwood.
Robinson writhed in pain on the ground for a few seconds as the Pistons capitalized on the five on four situation with a bonkers 360 layup from Ausar Thompson. Considering his history of ankle problems, this is a major injury concern for the Celtics.
The good news is that Robinson stayed in the game and even suited up in the second half, and it doesn't look as though the 28-year-old center will need to miss much time, if any, to recover from that scary moment. According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Robinson himself said that he'll be “OK” moving forward.
This may have played a part in Robinson's substandard outing in his official Celtics debut. He finished with just four points, and perhaps most glaringly, just three rebounds. He did block two shots, but he was a non-factor on the glass. This is something that Robinson aims to rectify.
Article Continues Below“I got my a** 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,” Robinson added.
The Celtics' slate is only about to get more difficult, as they will host the New York Knicks on Friday for their home opener.