Getty Robert Williams III #44, Boston Celtics
On September 23, the Boston Celtics announced that Robert Williams III had undergone a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee that would sideline him for eight to 12 weeks.
#NEBHInjuryReport Robert Williams underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee. Williams is expected to return to basketball activities in 8-12 weeks.
On October 18, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Williams had received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his knee, fueling speculation that he may be out longer than the original timeline the Celtics gave.
“I’m told his hope is sometime in December or January, but it could even be later than that,” Charania said about Williams
According to @ShamsCharania on #RunItBack this morning, #Celtics big man Robert Williams recently underwent a PRP procedure in his knee and could return in the second half of the season
On November 3, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe provided an update on Williams, clarifying whether the PRP injection had pushed back Williams’ return.
“Exactly six weeks have passed since Robert Williams underwent maintenance surgery on his left knee. After he received a platelet-rich plasma injection about two weeks ago, there was some suggestion that his return timeline of 8-12 weeks had been pushed back. But league sources stressed that Williams remains right on schedule,” Himmelsbach said.
Although Williams appears to have suffered no setbacks in his recovery, it remains to be seen when exactly he will return to the court. Williams has not played since Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Ime Udoka’s Departure Could Lead to Coaching Staff Changes
After Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Brooklyn Nets plan to hire Ime Udoka as their new head coach, Himmelsbach added what kind of ripple effects Udoka’s departure may have on the Celtics’ coaching staff going forward.
“It’s tough to look very far ahead during such an unsettled time, but it’ll be interesting to see whether Udoka’s departure eventually has substantial ripple effects on Boston’s coaching staff. Remember, he filled his staff almost exclusively with friends from the Portland area with whom he shared deep bonds, such as Damon Stoudamire, Aaron Miles, and Ben Sullivan,” Himmelsbach said.
Himmelsbach also reported what may happen to the coaching staff should Joe Mazzulla stick around as the Celtics’ head coach.
“If Mazzulla signs a long-term deal, he probably would want to have some say in building his own staff. But don’t expect any changes this season.”
Celtics Remain ‘Quite High’ on Mazzulla
Himmelsbach brought up that Udoka’s departure removes the risk of his possible return once his suspension was lifted, which could have been a problem for the Celtics. Himmelsbach also revealed how confident Boston’s front office is in Mazzulla.
“Udoka’s departure also will remove another distraction for the Celtics that was sure to surface during an inevitable rough patch of the season. This way, there will be no questions about when or if Udoka would return to replace Joe Mazzulla. There will be no shadow.
“The Celtics’ front office remains quite high on Mazzulla, and he’ll get every opportunity to secure a long-term contract,” Himmelsbach said.
In Mazzulla’s first seven games coaching the team, the Celtics are 4-3. Two of those four wins came against the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat, both of whom made the playoffs last season. In the seven games they’ve played, the Celtics have the NBA’s eighth-highest offensive rating, scoring 114.7 points per 100 possessions, and the NBA’s 18th-highest defensive rating, allowing 112.8 points per 100 possessions.