What’s been most encouraging about the Boston Celtics being up 2-0 on the Brooklyn Nets right now has been how well the defense has managed to contain the Nets, or more specifically Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, without Robert Williams III. Some were skeptical that the Celtics would prevail against the Nets in this series largely in part because of Williams’ absence.
Evidently, the Celtics have had their close calls in both games against the Nets, but have managed just fine without Williams. Well, it appears they won’t have to manage without their breakout player for much longer. Not too long after Shams Charania reported that Williams was aiming to return either in Game 3 or Game 4, it appears Williams now has a target return in mind.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Williams is planning to make his playoff debut in Game 3 against the Nets on a minutes restriction. Not only that, but if all goes well, Williams will not have a minutes restriction going forward.
Barring a setback, Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III intends to return in limited minutes for Game 3 vs. Brooklyn on Saturday, sources tell ESPN. If those minutes go smoothly, the expectation is that he’ll resume a significant minutes load for Game 4 on Monday.
Wojnarowski later added that Williams played in 5-on-5 contact drills without any pain.
Williams played pain-free 5-on-5 in consecutive practices and will make his return from meniscus surgery on March 30.
This is more than welcome news, to say the least, for the Celtics, especially in light of Head Coach Ime Udoka saying earlier that the Celtics were playing with the expectation that Williams was not going to appear in the series at all. Now that Williams’ return is coming one way or the other, the Celtics’ chances of winning this series just went up.
Celtics List Robert Williams III as Questionable on Injury Report
As exciting as it is knowing that Williams should be coming back sooner rather than later, the Celtics are still not letting their fans get too excited just yet. After what Charania and Wojnarowski had reported earlier, the Celtics listed Williams as their only player on their injury report for Game 3, where they deemed him questionable.
#NEBHInjuryReport for Game 3 vs. Brooklyn:
Robert Williams (left knee meniscal tear) – QUESTIONABLE
Now, this is the first time Williams has been listed as anything other than “out” on the injury report since tearing his meniscus, so that’s encouraging enough as it is. However, it sounds like Boston is still taking the cautious approach, which is understandable knowing how important Williams is to the team and how crucial a healthy version of him would be to their playoff chances.
Former Celtic Predicts Team Wins it all with Williams Back
When Williams went down with his meniscus tear, many believed such a blow would take Boston out of the title race. At the time, no one knew exactly when to expect Williams to make a return if a return was even in the cards. Now that it’s been confirmed that Williams will more than likely be back in Game 3, we’re already getting some hot takes.
ESPN Analyst and former Celtic Kendrick Perkins didn’t mince words once word got out that Williams was slated to come back. He stated that, as long as Williams was the same player he was before his injury, the Celtics were going all the way with him back in the lineup.
“I’m calling it: the Celtics are going to win their title this year if Robert Williams is the same version that we’ve seen before his injury.”
@KendrickPerkins with the title prediction 👀 (via NBA Today)
“Robert Williams coming back to this Celtics team, the way that they’re playing right now, to me is my favorite to win it all,” Perkins said. “When you look at Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, and the way that they’re guarding Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, I don’t know what other team has those (types) of players on their squad that they have to be worried about… And now you add Timelord. That lob threat at the basket along with that defensive presence that can switch 1-5. You can book it right now. I’m calling it. The Celtics are going to win the title this year if Robert Williams is the same version that we’ve seen before his injury.”
That may sound a bit hyperbolic, but Williams being added into the equation is a “rich getting richer” type of situation for Boston. Williams’ impact on both ends of the floor for Boston this past season cannot be understated, so having him back after only two playoff games could pay massive dividends for the Celtics.
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Adrian Wojnarowski Shares Major Update on Celtics Star Robert Williams