Boston Celtics center Mitchell Robinson had a debut to forget on Tuesday afternoon, as he notched just 4 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes during a 121-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The regular-season opener marked Robinson's first official game with the C's, yet he wasn't able to make much of an impact on either side of the ball.
The 28-year-old is still getting used to the Celtics' system and also rolled his ankle in the first half against Detroit, perhaps explaining his initial struggles. However, Robinson refused to give any excuses to the media at practice on Thursday morning. He claimed full responsibility for his subpar performance.
"You're going to feel it a bit here and there, but (expletive) happens," Robinson replied when asked about his ankle tweak, via CLNS Media. "I just felt like I was playing trash the whole time anyways."
Robinson got the start for the C's and quickly recorded 2 turnovers in the first minute of play. The rest of his stint was better, but he looked gassed out there at times and was surpassed in minutes by fellow center Neemias Queta, who came off the bench for the Green Team.
"I just got to start off better," Robinson admitted. "It's obviously my fault. I just have to accept that and be better from here on out."
The first-year Celtic is clearly capable of more. He was the defensive anchor for the reigning champion New York Knicks during the 2026 NBA Finals and has averaged over a block per game for the entirety of his NBA career.
"I'm one of the best defensive bigs in this league and I didn't show it that night," he stated. "I got to take ownership of that and got to be better."
The Celtics will need Robinson to keep that promise when his former team, the Knicks, come to TD Garden on Friday night. Like Boston, New York is searching for its first win and has plenty of talent.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is especially threatening to most opposing defenses. Maybe Robinson will stop beating himself up over Tuesday's game if can help slow his old teammate down on Friday.
"I played like (expletive)," Robinson said. "And, again, I can't have that."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mitchell Robinson doesn’t mince words about disappointing Celtics start