Former New York Knicks center and current Celtics center Mitchell Robinson commented on joining the team this offseason.
A lot of the attention paid toward the Boston Celtics this offseason was toward its major trade that sent 10-year Celtics veteran and former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for four draft picks and nine-time All-Star Paul George.
George expressed excitement about playing in Boston and team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was extremely confident that the multi-time All-Defensive team selection will be able to fit in with the roster and culture of the franchise.
However, another deal that flew under the radar was the Celtics bringing in center Mitchell Robinson.
Boston agreed to terms on a three-year, $47.38 million deal with Boston after an eight-season stints with the New York Knicks, that saw him win a championship with the Knicks this past season.
Robinson finished his stint with New York having averaged 7.5 points on 70.2% shooting from the floor across 397 games (215 starts). He also averaged eight rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest.
Robinson garnered a reputation as the Knicks' de facto rim protector and was a solid defensive presence off the bench for the champions. The Celtics saw firsthand the necessity for a true rim protector after it blew a 3-1 lead in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to the 76ers, who were able to mount their series comeback in large part due to the return of former MVP Joel Embiid.
The former second-team All-Rookie was extremely complimentary toward his new home city of Boston in a video shared to the team's official YouTube account.
"Boston is one of my favorite places to actually visit," Robinson said in the video. "Every time we came out here I kind of found new things to do. I heard the lobster here is A-1, so I definitely got to try that. ... But I'm just excited to be here.
The Celtics' offseason additions seem particularly adept on the defense end of things, which will do well in an Eastern Conference that includes some of the top offensive forces in the game from a variety of positions, including guard Jalen Brunson (New York), Embiid, forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami Heat), guard Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and guard Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), among others.
In addition to acquiring George and signing Robinson, Boston also signed one-time All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive team selection Mike Conley to a one-year, $3.87 million contract.
