Speaking with Knicks Fan TV at the end of September, new Boston Celtics center Mitchell Robinson insisted that he will be able to play in back-to-backs this season and that he won't face the kind of load management restrictions that he faced with the Knicks. 

Of course, that has yet to be confirmed by the team or head coach Joe Mazzulla, but that's an exciting thing to hear at the start of the season. The Celtics will obviously be better when Robinson has the ability to play as he'll make the lineup deeper.

An eight-year veteran of the Knicks, Robinson played 60 games last regular season, and he's only played more than 70 once in his career. He averaged 5.7 ppg in the regular season last year, but was an integral part of the Knicks winning a title against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Celtics gave him a three-year deal worth nearly $50 million in the offseason. They will pair him with Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Chris Cenac Jr. in the front court. It's unclear if Robinson or Queta will start, but they both will play big minutes.

Robinson is also an excellent defender, and he'll increase the team's physicality. He's also among the best offensive rebounders in the sport, and he should give the team some more second-chance opportunities to score.

We'll get our first look at Robinson in a Celtics uniform on Thursday night when the C's travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. Boston went 56-26 last year, earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

The Cavaliers got to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Knicks in that round.

As for what we're looking for in the preseason opener:

1) Who starts between Robinson and Queta?

2) Will the Celtics ever play with two big men on the floor at the same time?

3) How does Jayson Tatum look in his first full season since coming back from a torn Achilles?

4) How do the Celtics look, in general, without Jaylen Brown?

5) What kind of contributions will we see from the rookies: Cenac and Dillon Mitchell?

The game will be played at 7 p.m. ET and it will air on NBC Sports Boston. People can find additional coverage on the Celtics' website.