Getty Robert Williams and Enes Kanter during the Boston Celtics pre-game entrance.
Robert Williams has been the Boston Celtics‘ most consistent player to begin the NBA season, both offensively and defensively. However, the often-injured star missed the Celtics second-half performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night due to a ‘sharp pain’ in his left knee in the final minutes of the second quarter.
“Rob felt some soreness in the second quarter, not sure if he did something specific to it, but it was pretty tight at halftime. Felt a sharp pain, so we kept him out. We will see when he gets tested and looked at, how he’s gonna be,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka told the media following the Celtics victory.
Before leaving the game with an injury, Williams provided the Celtics with a reliable and physical presence of the glass, pulling down six rebounds in 13 minutes of play. Against a Cavaliers team that plays with size, Williams’ athleticism proved invaluable for the Celtics on both ends of the floor, as the team looked to combat the imposing presences of Tacko Fall and Evan Mobley.
Williams, who has battled injury issues his whole career, has only missed one game so far this season in the Celtics’ second contest against the Washington Wizards on October 30th, which Boston lost.
Enes Kanter Steps Up in Williams Absence
Enes Kanter returned to Boston during the off-season but has scarcely seen floor time in the team’s first 14 games, only participating in three of them. Yet, with Williams unavailable for the second half of Monday’s game, Udoka decided to give the veteran rebounding machine his first genuine minutes of the season.
“They had a big lineup out there with Fall and Mobley, and instead of downsizing with a guy like Jabari, we went bigger tonight. It was a coverage we were in any way, so we benefited with Enes; he came in ready to play and made an impact,” Udoka said.
Kanter played 8 minutes in the second half against Cleveland, scoring five points along with pulling down two rebounds, but it was his work off-ball that caught most people’s attention. Kanter created space for others with his screening ability while also keeping the defense occupied around the dunker spot, allowing others to attack the basket at pace.
15-8 Celtics run to start the 4th and go ahead 8.
Kanter had a finish off Tatum’s pass, follow on his miss and hit a FT getting fouled to set up a Tatum 3
Speaking after the game, Al Horford discussed Kanter’s impact during the second half, “I was just very proud of Enes, to be able to come in and give us some really good minutes when we really needed it, just credit to him staying ready, doing all the right things, and he got an opportunity tonight, so I was happy to see that.”
Celtics Have Depth at Center
Luckily for the Celtics, their big-man rotation isn’t as limited as previous years, with the team having four or five capable rotation players able to plug any gaps should injuries arise.
In Grant Williams and Jabari Parker, the Celtics have two valuable small-ball options, should Udoka wish to play at a higher tempo. While Horford, Kanter, and Juancho Hernangomez can all provide size, rebounding, and versatile scoring between them.
As Udoka said following Monday’s victory, Williams will undergo tests on Tuesday, as the team looks to learn the cause of his pain and soreness. Only then will they release an update on Williams’ availability against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, November 17th.
Until then, Boston and Celtics fans will be waiting tentatively, hoping for a positive update.