We need more Mitchell Robinsons
And four more non-star (for now) important players in the Atlantic Division.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
It’s our last round of the most important non-stars in the NBA. We wrap up with the Atlantic Division. Thank you for humoring me in this way to talk about a few interesting players and each team. Check out any of the collections you missed.
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Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
The Celtics started the summer traded small for big in the Marcus Smart-Kristaps Porzingis deal. They finished the summer trading small and big for small in the Jrue Holiday deal. The net change here is that Boston’s deep well of guard talent got a little more shallow and a little older.
Enter Payton Pritchard, the fourth-year guard who suddenly features more prominently in the fate of a title contender than his career stats (6.6 points in 15.7 minutes per game) would indicate. Boston inked Pritchard to a frugal rookie extension at the very beginning of the preseason, which seemed like a clue that his role was going to expand greatly. And sure enough: he’s been pouring in points during the preseason, and figures to be one of the Celtics’ most important reserves.
Joe Mazzulla appears to be at least considering bringing Jrue Holiday off the bench. (I don’t get that at all. If you insist on starting Al Horford, which doesn’t seem wholly necessary unless you’re playing the Sixers or Nuggets or maybe Kings or Heat, then bring Derrick White off the bench.) In any case, the top six of the roster is strong. Pritchard is No. 7. How well he can fit his role — hit open shots, score points, defend passably — off the bench could help determine how much rest the rotation gets. A breakout for Pritchard could change the trajectory of the team.
Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks
Mitchell Robinson might be the most underrated center in the NBA, and it’s because the new vogue of centers in the NBA has them running offenses and scoring buckets. Robinson exists in his own space: a grimy, lunchpail center who doesn’t score except when it would be ridiculous not to, who doesn’t touch the ball unless it’s absolutely necessary, and who will leave his mark on his opponents and the game when it’s all over.
Can I say something? Will you extend me the grace of compassion when I say this? Mitchell Robinson is Rudy Gobert with a reasonable contract, a good dose of self-awareness and an all-time appetite for offensive rebounds. Rudy Gobert should aspire to be more like Mitchell Robinson (except on payday). You want a perfect Mitchell Robinson game? How about 9 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks against the Pacers last year?
Who do you think has the most frequent nightmares about Mitchell Robinson on the Cavaliers? IT SHOULD BE ALL OF THEM.
A role-knowing, hard-working, no-nonsense center gobbling up rebounds and opponent shots and setting hard screens and never once calling for a post-up. We love it.
Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
The 2021-22 Rookie of the Year did not rank as the best sophomore in the league. Scottie Barnes followed up an eye-popping first campaign with … a slightly less effective second season: he didn’t just fail to take a step up, he sort of took a step back. I’m sure that had as much as anything to do with Nick Nurse’s exit from the Raptors. Barnes is Toronto’s future, and everything they do now should be focused on helping him realize his superstar potential.
That’s the charge of a new coach (Darko Rajakovic) with a familiar roster. Fred VanVleet decamped for Houston, but Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are still here despite all the rumors swirling around the Raps. The most interesting wrinkle is the presence of Jakob Poeltl, who the Raptors very oddly traded a pick for at the deadline despite not being in position to do anything in the playoffs last season. Toronto performed better with Poeltl, going 15-10 down the stretch with the Austrian center starting.
Did the front office get Poeltl not for the 2023 playoffs, but for the 2023-24 season and beyond? He did sign a reasonable extension with the Raptors this summer, and given that the Raptors are focusing everything on helping Barnes reach his considerable potential, that would seem to indicate that the braintrust a) thinks Poeltl in the middle helps Barnes and the team more broadly, which feels correct and b) thinks the Raptors can win some games. You don’t trade picks for 27-year-old centers to rebuild.
Back to Barnes.
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