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Robert Williams has been making a significant impact since returning to the Boston Celtics rotation following his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery during the off-season.
However, according to Brad Stevens, who was speaking as part of an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston, the Celtics are going to continue taking a cautious approach with the Louisana native, and he will be unlikely to surpass 30 minutes of playing time per night for the duration of the regular-season.
“It’s a long game. I mean, that’s the bottom line. He won’t hit north 30 very often right now. At the end of the day, he didn’t play, obviously, any in the preseason training camp, he gets ramped up with coaches’ games that only our head coach gets hurt in; everybody else is fine. But, he’s not ready to play NBA basketball at 30 minutes a game when he first comes back; now you can see, each game, he’s got a little bit more, and more, and more…I think it’s really a focus to continue to play well, get his legs underneath him, and get ready for the end of the season,” Stevens said.
Williams has played in 14 games this season and is averaging 8.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 76.1% from the field.
Robert Williams Reveals Mazzulla’s Confrontational Side
During an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, Williams revealed that Joe Mazzulla has a confrontational side that keeps the Celtics on their toes.
“Joe is confrontational, man. He helped us build that urge to be able to listen to one another. He addresses all elephants in the room as soon as he enters the room. We need that. You know what I’m saying? We need a coach that will lead like that. It’s easy to follow someone like that…Joe will snap. He will snap on you for sure,” Williams said.
Williams’ revelation may shock some Celtics fans, as generally, Mazzulla cuts a calm and composed figure when patrolling the sidelines and attending press conferences. However, given the impressive start the Celtics have made to the 2022-23 season, it would appear that whatever Mazzulla is doing to motivate his team is clearly working.
Stephen A. Smith Believes Celtics Are Favorites
According to Stephen A. Smith, who was speaking on a January 20 episode of ESPN’S First Take, the Celtics are the current favorites to win the NBA championship due to boasting the deepest team in the league.
“Boston’s the best team in basketball. They can hurt you in a multitude of ways. Right now, I don’t think anybody would argue with the fact that Jayson Tatum is a leading league MVP candidate; he is a superstar. They have the best depth in the NBA, one could argue about Denver as well, but I’m gonna pick the Celtics for the moment. And, not to mention the fact that their defense can turn it up a notch when Robert Williams is on the court. Right now, the Boston Celtics are easily the favorites to win it all,” Smith said.
The Celtics will face the Toronto Raptors on January 21 as they bid to continue their current win streak and build further breathing room between them and the chasing pack in the Eastern Conference.
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