Getty Robert Williams of the Boston Celtics.
Ever since Robert Williams III tore his meniscus back on March 27rh, Boston Celtics fans have been wondering when the young center was going to return to the court. Torn meniscuses are tough to gauge when it comes to recovery because it depends on how bad the tear itself is. When Daniel Theis tore his meniscus back in March of 2018, the Celtics shut him down for the rest of the season – Note: he tore his meniscus at an earlier date in 2018 season than Williams did this season – but there seemed to be reasonable optimism that Williams wasn’t done for the year.
While Williams has not been deemed out for the season, Ime Udoka did not sound too optimistic regarding if the Timelord would be back in time for the Celtics’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.
Ime Udoka says of Robert Williams’ rehab: “We’re happy with the progress, but at the same time, we understand it’s gonna take time.” He said C’s are still planning as if they’ll need to play the first round without Williams, and adjust if the timeline moves up.
Obviously, the Celtics have to be cautious here with Williams both because of his injury history and it’d be in their best interest not to make his torn meniscus worse than it is. Fun fact: Timelord reached a career-high in games played this season with 61 in total, which is as encouraging as it is scary for Boston. So, while him being healthy for most of the season has played a role in their swift progress, it’s in their best interest not to risk his long-term status as a player. With the impact he’s had and how young he is, his production is more likely than not just the beginning.
However, if they truly believe he’ll be healed and ready to go with no setbacks in time for the Nets series, then by all means, they have every right to play him.
No Robert Williams Could Spell Trouble for the Celtics
There have been many conflicting stories surrounding when and if Williams will return to the floor. No one knows for sure when the Timelord will make his return, or, even if he does, what kind of impact he’ll have on the floor. There are so many unknown factors tied to his name alone, which has fed into why many believe the Nets can pull off the upset.
A pretty telling statistic from Matt Moore of Action Network will probably catch the eye of Celtics fans everywhere.
Celtics vs. Nets this season, with the caveat that a bunch of guys were missing in all the matchups and the Celtics were a way different team later etc. etc.
With Robert Williams: +24.4 Net Rating
Without Robert Williams: +1.5 net rating
These stats are admittingly skewed – which Moore points out and then some – in part because the Celtics were a wildly different team between the season started and when it ended. Still, it raises some concern as to how much better the Celtics were when Williams was on the floor compared to when he wasn’t since Williams’ return date remains murky.
Again, because times were different when those statistics were accumulated, it’s difficult to truly gauge how meaningful they are for Boston’s upcoming series against Brooklyn. But if this series turns out to be harder for Boston like some think it will, stats like these could explain why.
Al Horford and Daniel Theis Should do Just Fine Together
If it hasn’t been clear enough already, losing Robert Williams III is a significant blow to Boston’s hopes of going on a title run. Luckily, not having him around isn’t the end of the world. Going up against Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be a challenge, but Boston’s likely starting frontcourt of Al Horford and Daniel Theis should be more than up to the task.
The sample size isn’t too big, but it’s big enough that it may put Celtics fans’ collective minds at ease. According to NBA.com, the two-man lineup of Horford and Theis has an offensive rating of 127.9 points per 100 possessions while having a defensive rating of 94.7 points per 100 possessions. All in all, the two of them have a net rating of plus-33.2 points per 100 possessions when they share the court together. That’s the highest net rating among the Celtics’ two-man lineups that have been on the court together for 100 or more minutes.
The two of them may have their hands full with the Nets, but they won’t be easy for Brooklyn to exploit.
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